Silver Lining
by Seijiro Dazai
Summary: A new student named Caine comes to Ouran Academy. His true identity is a mystery, but that doesn't stop Tamaki from ushering him into the ranks of the hosts. Caine is full of secrets–but how long can a secret last in the Host Club?
1. Arrival at Ouran Academy

A/N: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club–obviously. Also, I feel compelled to warn readers that this is going to be a longer story. I hope you'll keep reading anyway.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter One: Arrival at Ouran Academy

"Caine-sama, this is Otori Kyoya, the class president for your year," said the admissions counselor, "he will give you a tour around the school."

"Just let me know what you would like to see," the black-haired, glasses-clad boy standing opposite them added graciously, "if you have any special interests, for example."

Caine sighed. _What I would_ like _to see on this early Sunday morning,_ he thought, _is my own bed. Instead, I've been dragged out to tour this massive and oppressively pink new school. To make matters worse, for some reason it was decided that Mira would get to stay home, and only_ I _would have to come._

Gritting his teeth, he forced his face into a polite smile. _I suppose this Otori boy probably doesn't want to be here either, and was only made to do it because he has the best scores in his class._

"I am very grateful to you for taking time out of your weekend to give me this tour, Otori-san," he forced himself to say in reply.

"It's no trouble at all."

Kyoya led Caine around the school grounds, here and there pointing out the many state-of-the-art facilities Ouran Academy had to offer. Caine was pleased to see four different libraries, as he loved to read, and he made note of some spots he hoped would be secluded enough to do so without interruption. From what he could see, it wasn't much different from the school he had attended in Kyoto, although he had to admit it was quite beautiful the way the brick buildings shone pink like the cherry blossoms blooming overhead. Maybe here he would have the chance to get a new start, fresh as the cherry blossoms and free of his troublesome past.

The two boys stopped near a fountain, the water sparkling as it arced beautifully through the sunlight.

"So, what brings you to Ouran Academy, Yabatsukuni-sama?"

An icicle-sharp stab of cold fear stabbed through Caine's heart. So much for the fresh start–apparently his name had preceded him. He braced himself; now he had no shield against those who would only see him for his famous name and the rumors that surrounded it, no protection from the whispering and shaming that had followed the fateful event the previous year when his reputation had been undeservedly tarnished forever.

"How . . . how did you know?" he gasped out in a whisper, trying not to show his anxiety.

"I make it my business to know everything about everyone here at Ouran," Kyoya replied, the light glinting off his glasses, and, for a moment, giving their opaque shine a sinister look. The sinister look passed quickly however, and he tilted his head to look sideways at Caine, seeing his unease.

He added, with some confusion, "What is it?"

"It . . . has news of me traveled to this school already?" Caine carefully asked, trying not to show his nerves and reveal the true intent of his question.

"No," Kyoya replied, "as far as I know, I am the only person who knows, aside from the administration. Actually, I was surprised to discover that you were coming here. Why?"

Caine breathed out a big sigh of relief. He had worried in vain.

"Well . . . you see, I prefer to be anonymous. So people will judge me based on my character, instead of my name."

He waited, nervous. It was a gamble, telling someone else with a famous name his reasons for anonymity. For all he knew, this Otori boy could be more like his sister, basking in the limelight of a wealthy family and an eminent name.

Again, he found needn't have worried. Kyoya nodded, gave a small smile, and said,

"I understand. A name like yours can be a burden to live under, sometimes. I will not reveal it to anyone without your permission, so there's no need for you to be concerned."

"Thank you," Caine replied. Maybe Ouran Academy would be different from his school in Kyoto.


	2. Kyoya Looks at the Scoreboard

A/N: I know you know this already, but I'll say it again just in case–I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Bisco Hatori does. Anyway, thanks for making it to Chapter Two, and enjoy.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Two: Kyoya Looks at the Scoreboard

The academic rankings scoreboard at Ouran Academy was not placed quite as centrally as it might have been in other schools. This, Kyoya had long suspected, was the administration's way of providing for those students with full pockets but empty heads. Instead, it was placed with some discretion, though one could hardly avoid seeing the singularly interpretable strokes of black ink spelling out the name of every student and marking them in order of their scholarly abilities. Ouran might be a playground for the idle rich, but it still called itself an Academy and instituted regular exams, after all.

Kyoya hadn't meant to go over to the rankings board at a time when a test had not just altered it, but, somehow, he found his feet walking him over to it. His eyes drifted upwards towards his accustomed place at the head of the list. He had been so long at the top of the board that he hardly felt the flicker of pride at being top of his class. But it was then, as his gaze widened to include the other names on the board, that his mind registered why he had come to the list in the first place. It wasn't because he was unsure of his place as the smartest in his class–his superior intelligence guaranteed that. No, it was the second name on the list for which he had come.

There, below his name, it said, simply, Caine.

He was intrigued to notice the school had bowed to the boy's wish for anonymity, but it was only mildly surprising, as he had known Caine would likely make use of the power his name to erase it. His ranking, too, was a supposition confirmed. The way he had explained his desire for anonymity to him had suggested he wanted to be judged by his talent instead of his family background, and, in his experience, that meant Caine must have faith his personal talent would carry him far enough not to need his name.

So he would take the spot of class vice president, Jonouchi Ayame, and sit beside him in class. It would certainly be interesting to have a new scholarly companion.


	3. Settling In

A/N: I still don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Maybe if I did, it would be longer. But it certainly wouldn't be half as good. Anyway, thanks for reading on to chapter 3 and enjoy.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Three: Settling In

Caine settled quickly into life at Ouran Academy. Just as he had predicted, it was much like his previous school in Kyoto; some people were focused on getting good grades, while others obsessed over their own fame. He preferred to be one of the former, content in the anonymous invisibility the administration was only too willing to provide for a name such as his. Kyoya, too, stayed true to his word and kept Caine's secret. Caine established himself as second in the class, side by side with the glasses-clad boy who was his class president. They became academic companions, and Caine observed that Kyoya seemed, like him, to be one of those intelligent people who are only waiting to get school out of the way in order to start working in their family businesses. Caine didn't make any friends during that time, but he had acquaintances, which was as much as he desired. He kept to his books, and luckily, his sister, who could sometimes be quite a mischief-maker, didn't pose him any trouble. He had spoken to her previously about his desire to live without notoriety, and besides, she was much too distracted. Her eyes were drawn to a group of charming and handsome boys calling themselves the Host Club who would flirt with girls to pass the time. Caine was mildly interested when she mentioned that among their number was none other than their classmate Kyoya. The overdone flattery he imagined when he thought of such a society seemed outside the character of the intellectual boy. Through the scholarly conversations they participated in in class, Caine had come to think of him as a kindred spirit, and he wondered what such a boy would be doing in something that smacked of reverse harem. Perhaps one day he might have the occasion to go and see what it was, and why it appealed to Kyoya, but for now, it didn't concern him overly much.


	4. Mira Comes to Host Club

A/N: As usual, I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club, and please enjoy.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Four: Mira Comes to Host Club

"Hello, everyone!" exclaimed Mira, waltzing into Host Club. She always choreographed her motions to be dramatic, designing them to draw just the right amount of attention to her appearance. If one looked closely enough, watched she and Caine long enough, and was expecting the resemblance, they could see that she and Caine were twins. Unlike her brother, though, every detail of her appearance, every motion she made, every word she said was carefully calculated to stand out and leave an unforgettable impression. Her grey eyes, tinged lightly with blue, shone deeply, and her silver hair flowed like a waterfall down her back. Her clothes showed impeccable style and had been tailor-made to her measurements: today she wore a pale purple dress sashed in a darker purple. A devout believer in the idea that first impressions were irrevocably important, she had calculated every detail of her performance to create the perfect self-presentation.

The effect, and the invisibility of the advance preparation it took to accomplish, never failed to impress. Such was the information Tamaki understood in an instant as his eyes took her in.

"I don't think we've seen you before," he commented, beaming, "which is such a loss, since you are so stunning." Mira, predictably, melted before his practiced hosting flirtation.

"I'm Yabatsukuni Mira," she said, introducing herself, making sure to stress her famous name. It was a rather noteworthy point in her wide array of good qualities, after all.

"What an honor it is to meet you!" Tamaki gushed, recognizing her name instantly–none at Ouran Academy could fail to do so for such a famous personage.

Kyoya, who was sitting slightly apart from the rest, looked up from his computer for a moment.

"So this is Abel," he remarked to himself. Used to twins as identical as the Hitachiin brothers, it was a supremely interesting comparison to see the stark difference between the Yabatsukuni twins. He could understand part of the reason they had come to be referred to by the names of the most dissimilar siblings of legend.

Haruhi, who was standing nearby, heard him and wondered what could be happening in his ever-complicated thoughts.

"What did you say, senpai?" she asked, confused.

He simply shook his head dismissively at her.

Meanwhile, Mira was getting settled with Tamaki. As dedicated to appearances as she was, he was the perfect host for her.


	5. Caine Comes to Host Club

A/N: Yeah, I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Please read on and enjoy.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Five: Caine comes to Host Club

A week or so later, on a Thursday, Mira was at Host Club as usual, flattering and getting flattered by Tamaki, when Caine came to the door.

"Music Room 3," he mused quietly to himself before entering, "I wonder what it was like before the Host Club came here." For he knew, by carefully disinterested inquiry, that the Host Club was a relatively new institution at Ouran Academy. _Had there been music here before?_ he wondered. But he had come for a purpose, and, taking a deep breath, he prepared the words he must say. He had never enjoyed speaking before those he didn't know, but given his parentage it was unavoidable. At least in this case there wasn't much he needed to say and the only one to whom he would be speaking was one well known to him. Readied, he pushed open the doors and entered into the room. Ignoring the shower of rose petals that (he observed in the corner of his mind) seemed to come from thin air, he called for his sister.

"Mira," he said authoritatively. She looked up in response, recognizing not only her name, but the voice of the only person who would use her first name without precluding it with her family name. "We must go."

"Ca-ine," she said, lengthening his name into a plaintive whine. All eyes in the room turned to the door to see who had arrived. Mira knew how to make a scene and loved to drag her more reserved brother into it, and this was no different.

Caine surveyed the room as the rose petals fluttered to the floor. Girls were all around, most of them ones he had previously noted to be more interested in popularity than books. Spiced in among them were a number of exceptionally handsome boys: a blond with uniquely purple eyes, two red haired twins, a tall dark haired man and his living teddy bear of a friend.

He finished his scan at the other side of the room. There he was–black hair, glasses, and an unmistakeable air of sophistication. Otori Kyoya. He had looked up when Caine entered, recognizing his classmate. Caine caught his eyes for a moment and saw he had been immersed in a file. _Ah, so he was the club's manager, not one of the hosts_ , Caine erroneously thought. Kyoya seemed surprised to see Caine; his eyes darting surreptitiously back and forth between Mira and her brother, no doubt wondering how twins could be so different.

Caine suddenly remembered why he had come, and turned back to his sister.

"He is waiting," he told her, omitting the unnecessary clarification that he was speaking of their father. Yabatsukuni Yanamune, their father, was constantly busy at the head of the company the carried his name, and often found himself called away on lengthy business trips. Now he was finally home, and they would be wise not to miss a moment of what would doubtlessly prove an all-too-short visit. Despite his frequent absences, they were very fond of their father, and he of them. Beyond familial feeling, their future depended on him.

Mira didn't say a word, but Caine saw the understanding that immediately came over her face as she received his message through their twin telepathy. At once she rose and came over to where he was standing at the door, hooking her arm through his bent one. Caine was about to turn to go when a sudden impulse struck him, and he decided to acknowledge his classmate, raising his hand and giving him his traditional half-wave/half-smile. Kyoya gave Caine a simple nod in response. Their business concluded, Mira and Caine headed down to the car, off to see their returned father.


	6. Tamaki's Demand

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Please enjoy chapter six.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Six: Tamaki's Demand

Kyoya was checking the sales of Host Club merchandise in his ever-present notebook when he heard Mira call out Caine's name. Intrigued, he looked up: he suspected it would be a rare chance to see Caine in an environment so radically different from when they usually saw each other. He was glad to see the silver-haired boy, who he had come to consider a friend. They sat together every day in class and had spoken many times concerning academic matters, but it was a refreshing change to see him outside of that sphere. Beyond that, he had been wanting to see Caine and Abel interact ever since the outwardly-facing half of the Yabatsukuni duo had come to Host Club. The way the twins were so different fascinated him. They could hardly be more opposite, and yet they seemed to get along. It aroused his curiosity.

He didn't have much time to consider his observation of the twins; however, for the moment Caine waved his goodbye and he acknowledged it Tamaki was all over him.

"Who was that boy?" The blond asked enthusiastically, "he was soo cute!"

And Tamaki wasn't the only one admiring Caine for his appearance. The Host Club client girls were oohing and ahhing over him. Naturally each saw the slight wave he had given to Kyoya as meant for them, and them alone. It was their constant form of self-deception.

"You see how all the girls like him!" Tamaki explained, feeding off their emotions, "we must make him a host!"

"Hey Kyoya-senpai," said Haruhi, who had appeared out of nowhere, "you seemed to know him." Of course, he realized, she had been changing and must have watched Caine come and go from the dressing room. "Maybe you could persuade him to join." She looked at Tamaki's enthusiasm a little disappointedly. "I mean, only if he wants to," she added with worry, "and since Tamaki-senpai seems really keen on the idea." She was no doubt thinking back to when she had been pressed into service as a host and doubting that anyone who didn't have Tamaki's character, as Caine so obviously did not, would want to become one.

"YES," shouted Tamaki, "Kyoya, you must do it."

Kyoya thought he might as well try. He liked Caine, and knew Tamaki would probably harass him whether or not he joined Host Club, but perhaps less if he did. Besides, he would welcome the chance to get to know the boy better.


	7. Will You Join Host Club?

A/N: Not Hatori-sensei, just an admirer of hers. Please enjoy chapter seven and thank you for reading.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Seven: Will You Join Host Club?

Kyoya headed over to Caine's house as soon as Host Club was over, wanting to get to his friend before Tamaki ambushed him. As he walked over from his house, he wondered what it would be like to see Caine outside of school. Not only that, but he was looking forward to the chance to see the Yabatsukuni family house, which he had passed many times before in his family car. He had only seen the imposing walls before, and had speculated quite a bit on what lay beyond them.

Arriving, he knocked on the front doors, which were opened by a handsome long-haired man he assumed was the Yabatsukuni family's butler.

"Excuse me?" The man asked. "Can I help you? If you're here to speak to the master, I'm afraid that won't be possible. You'll need to make an appointment with his assistant instead."

"Actually, I'm here to see Caine," Kyoya explained, wondering if he should ask for Caine by his real name or common nickname. "My name is Otori Kyoya, I'm his classmate."

The man looked him up and down carefully, then said,

"Yes, I believe he's mentioned your name before. If you follow the path you'll soon arrive at the house. If you don't mind waiting there, I'll go find him and tell him you are here." The man bowed and walked away, leaving Kyoya to walk towards the house on his own.

Kyoya passed through the front gates and onto the Yabatsukuni grounds. Around him stretched green grass, rock gardens and short evergreen trees, all perfectly manicured into a traditional Japanese garden. He heard water rushing somewhere in the distance and saw, not far ahead, a great house rising up ahead of him. It looked to have been rebuilt recently, combining a traditional Japanese style with the modern aesthetic of glass and steel. At each corner a shachihoko sculpture glinted in the sunlight. Although Kyoya was able to keep his composure, underneath he was awestruck. Even though the Otori family was very wealthy, the Yabatsukunis were clearly far above them.

"Keika, you little brat!" he heard a voice shouting, angry but good-humored. Suddenly a small barefoot boy of about nine or ten rushed into view, his hands and and white robe, shirt and pants spattered in black ink. He had a wicked grin on his face, the classic look of a small child who has committed mischief. The young boy noticed Kyoya standing there and his grin widened.

"Hey mister," he said, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "Help me?"

No sooner had he spoken and Kyoya wondered what he meant than Caine appeared from whence he had come. Like the boy, Caine was dressed in white spattered in black ink, and Kyoya realized the boy must have spilled the ink over both of them. There was even ink in Caine's shining silver hair, and a splash of it beautified his left cheekbone.

"Keika!" Caine shouted again, and Kyoya understood it must be the boy's name. "Don't think you're getting away!"

Keika made a mischievous face and dramatically placed his hands over his cheeks, leaving black handprints. Caine lunged towards him, making him laugh and dash away towards the house. The distraction removed, Caine suddenly realized Kyoya was there.

"Otori-san!" he exclaimed, startled. Still despite his surprised apprehension, he seemed much more genial and relaxed than he had been at school. He looked down at his stained robe, face becoming uneasy as he realized the extent of Keika's bad behavior, and added, "I apologize, I wasn't expecting you."

"Or to be doused in ink, I imagine," Kyoya replied good-humouredly.

Caine laughed at his reply, and Kyoya reflected he had a very musical laugh.

"That's true," he said. "You might as well come with me to the house, Keika can live to spill ink another day."

He led the way back towards the house. Up close, it looked even more grandiose, modern glass and traditional wood complimenting each other perfectly. At the middle of the house rose ancient and ornate front doors bearing carvings of antlered water dragons curled around the trunks of delicate cherry trees in full bloom. Each detail had clearly been etched in by master artisans, and Kyoya recognized that the door came from the house as it had stood before the recent redesign. Standing in front of the impressive front door was the long-haired butler Kyoya had met at the front gate. When he saw Caine, he was startled.

"Ry-chan! What happened to you!" Seeing Kyoya, he added, "also, obviously, your friend Otori Kyoya is here to see you."

"Keika is somewhere in the garden, changing the color of his complexion," Caine remarked airily, gesturing lightly in the direction they had come.

The butler stifled a laugh and readied himself to catch the ink-blackened boy and return him to a cleaner state.

"Ah, before you go," Caine added quickly, "Otori, this is our family assistant, Seito Ryuichiro."

"Pleased to meet you," Seito said, bowing. Kyoya returned the greeting and bow, and Seito passed them into the garden to find Keika.

"Otori, if you don't mind waiting here for a moment, I'll just wash up and change," Caine said, his thumb smearing the ink splashed on his face as he attempted remove it. Kyoya nodded, and the boy headed into his grand house.

When he returned a few moments later, all traces of ink were gone and he was wearing a loose white and blue kimono patterned to look like a snowfall with a black haori draped loosely over it.

He looked Kyoya up and down.

"Now, while I am pleased to see you, I must admit to being somewhat surprised by your visit."

The tension Kyoya didn't realize he was feeling lessened somewhat when he heard Caine's words. So the boy was glad to see him. He had worried about interrupting his reunion with the father he knew was often absent, but had struggled with the need to alert him before Tamaki accosted him at school. And although he hadn't wanted to admit it to himself, he had also wanted to see him.

"It's about the Host Club today," he explained, wondering as he said it how to explain Tamaki and his boundless emotions to him in a way that would make him understand. He had to balance Tamaki's extremes and still convince Caine he might enjoy Host Club.

"Yes," he said, tilting his head, his eyes puzzled.

"The blond-haired boy who was sitting with your sister–"

"Suou Tamaki-san, the superintendent's son, yes, I know. What of him?" So he knew who Tamaki was already. Well, his family, but not his personality. Kyoya would still have to explain that. He wondered, briefly, if Caine knew of Tamaki's illegitimacy and what he thought of it, considering he, too, had a non-traditional relationship with his father.

"As a result of your visit to Host Club today, he's decided he's determined to make you a host," he said, deciding the best course of action was to simply get it out.

" _Really_?" For a moment, Caine's features were frozen and Kyoya narrowed his eyes trying to determine if he was anxious or simply severely shocked. Then, breathing deeply, Caine shut his eyes and the mask went back on over his face. When the silver-blue eyes reopened, Kyoya was convinced from the boy's new expression he was had only been shocked, and, it seemed, mildly amused by the incredulity of the suggestion. "How interesting. I'm guessing from your visit he's the kind of person who's not deterred once they make up their minds?"

"Yes. He's very emotional and can be obsessive. Honestly, you have to see it to believe it."

Kyoya suddenly realized he wasn't sure if Caine was taking him seriously or not. Usually it was so easy for him to read others, but with Caine he wasn't sure if he thought it was ridiculous and was playing it straight or if he really was being serious.

"Well, what do _you_ think, Otori-san," he asked, the half-smile Kyoya had seen so many times before back on the other boy's face, "do _you_ think should I join Host Club? After all, you have first-hand experience of it and could tell if it would be a good decision for me."

That was interesting. Usually people didn't ask his opinion about Host Club. Then again, no one typically involved with Host Club was quite like Caine. Maybe he _was_ being serious. Kyoya gave the matter an uncommon amount of thought before replying,

"Hmm. Well, it's difficult to say why, but I enjoy Host Club. The other hosts are quite friendly, when you get to know them. And they make you . . ." He struggled for a phrase, "think outside the box about things."

"While I do like the sound of that, but I am aware the purpose of the club is to flirt with girls. Do you imagine I'd be suited for it?" Caine asked. He and Kyoya had been classmates long enough for Kyoya to know the boy's nature wasn't obviously suited to something like Host Club. Then again, the same could be said for Haruhi, and look how she had turned out.

"The girls are adept at replacing reality with their own preferences. In flirting, I find if you are polite and complimentary the girls are satisfied. I see no reason why you wouldn't adapt easily to hosting," he replied.

"A compelling argument, coming from you," he said, but it was clear he was still not convinced, "but what about Mira? I expect you'll probably not be shocked to hear she loves to make trouble for me. Scenes are her scene."

"That was the one problem I saw," he confessed, "and I admit I don't have a ready solution to it."

They stood there in silence for a moment, pondering it.

It was clear, however, that they weren't going to solve their problem at that moment.

"I imagine you would like to meet the other hosts before coming to any decision," he said, finally, "and incidentally, the hosts are going on a picnic retreat to celebrate the new school year next week. At that time you could meet them outside of the club environment, and perhaps they might have some insight on the problem of Abel-san." He paused. "That is, if you are able to get away. I understand that your Father is home."

Both of them heard Kyoya's capitalization and Caine silently commenting, _finally_. It was common knowledge that Yabatsukuni was often gone on business trips, returning to spend only a few weeks with his children. Kyoya had never thought before about how that might affect them, but he did now, realizing a physically absent father like Caine's could be as bad as an emotionally absent one like his own.

An expression of what might have been annoyance or unconcern crossed Caine's face. Quickly, he dismissed it, giving a small smile instead, "I would be glad to," he replied.

They exchanged farewells and Kyoya left, gladdened by the way the conversation had turned out.


	8. A Friend?

A/N: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Also, I know this chapter is short, but I'll be publishing the next one with it. Anyway, thank you for reading and please enjoy.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Eight: A Friend?

"Who was that?" asked Mira, coming out of their father's study.

"Oh, just a friend from school," replied Caine a little dismissively, heading into the study.

 _A friend from school_ , Mira thought. _That's strange. I didn't think Ry-chan had any friends at school._


	9. Insider Information

A/N: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Thank you for continuing to read and please enjoy chapter nine.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Nine: Insider Information

Kyoya was taking a break from studying to drink some tea when the phone rang. His sister was sitting closer to the phone and she answered it.

"Hello, Otori residence."

"I'd like to speak to Otori Kyoya, please. Tell him it's Caine."

"One moment, please." She handed the phone to her brother. As interested in gossip as she was, Kyoya knew she would try to hang around to eavesdrop, so he preemptively shot her a _go away_ look and she reluctantly obeyed. Once she was gone, he turned his attention back to the caller.

"Caine? Hello. Have you reconsidered coming to the retreat?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Oh, no," Caine reassured him, dismissing the idea. "I thought I might to go out for lunch tomorrow, and I wondered if you might like to come along," he casually continued. "Perhaps you could tell me about the other hosts. You know, insider information."

There was a moment of silence, during which Caine wondered if he had made a mistake in calling Kyoya.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, thank you," Kyoya replied, not bothering to ask how Caine had gotten his phone number. They were both intelligent people, after all.

The next day at lunch he was walking outside the gates of Ouran Academy, remembering he had omitted to ask Caine where they would meet, when commoner's car, remarkable only for how out of place it looked next to Ouran, pulled up. At the wheel Kyoya recognized Seito, who Caine had introduced as the Yabatsukuni family assistant at the house the previous day. The butler held up a hand and waved when he saw the glasses-clad boy standing there.

"Otori-san?" Seito asked, pulling the car over to where Kyoya stood on the sidewalk and rolling down the window. "You'd better get in before anyone realizes this ordinary-seeming car has famous people in it." Kyoya looked in the window and saw Caine in the back seat, headphones over his ears. Seeing Kyoya, he waved him in. The black-haired boy obeyed Seito's directive and quickly got in the car.

"Ryu-chichi knows all the good places we won't be noticed," Caine explained, removing his headphones. Kyoya noted with interest that Caine referred to Seito as if he was another father, but he supposed that with Yabatsukuni's many absences the family assistant was probably more of a father to Caine than his adoptive father was.

Seito pulled the car away from Ouran, navigating it through Tokyo's busy streets, and soon enough they were pulling up to an alley back entrance.

"This is probably the most underrated cafe in all of Tokyo," he explained. "The owner is a friend of ours and lets us come and go by the back entrance so as not to be seen."

That would be useful to someone as well-known as Yabatsukuni, Kyoya reflected. His fame, successful business ventures and unmarried status attracted a lot of attention, not all of it desired. Seito parked the car in the alleyway and the three of them got out, heading into the back door of the restaurant.

Standing on the other side of the door was a slender yet buoyantly energetic man dressed as a waiter with bleached hair pulled back into a short tuft of a ponytail.

"Ry-chan and Ry-chan!" he exclaimed, grinning brightly. "And a new friend?"

"Sada-chan!" replied Seito, giving the man a high-five that looked strangely appropriate despite their ages.

"Abe-san," greeted Caine more calmly. "This is Otori Kyoya, a friend and classmate. Otori, this is Abe Hirosada, my parents' friend from university and owner of Mei Li's Café." The two bowed and exchanged greetings.

"Right this way." Abe led them up to a private room on the second floor, then took Seito down to the kitchen to discuss lunch.

As soon as Seito left, Caine began the real business of the afternoon.

"So, the Host Club. How many other hosts are there besides Suou-kun?" he asked Kyoya. "I think I saw some identical twins when I was picking up Mira, but I wasn't really paying that much attention." In reality, he had made note of five, but he was so used to downplaying his intelligence it had practically become a habit.

"Those are the Hitachiin brothers, Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun," explained Kyoya. "They play the little devil role at the Host Club, and they actually _are_ troublemakers. However, they are essentially harmless, they just like to have a little fun."

"I suppose, as twins with the same temperament, they've learned to rely more on each other than the rest of the world," Caine mused, "or at least that's how I imagine Mira and I would be if we had closer temperaments."

"Yes, you're right. They also play up a brotherly love angle for the girls," Kyoya explained.

"What girls will go for," Caine muttered under his breath, laughing to himself.

"Other than the twins, there is another duo, Morinozuka Takashi, known as 'Mori', and Haninozuka Mitsukuni, known as 'Honey'," Kyoya added, "they fill the wild and boy lolita types. Mori-senpai is very protective of Honey-senpai, who is essentially a child, despite being a year our senior."

"Haninozuka Mitsukuni… " Caine recalled the boy who had looked like an primary schooler, especially sitting next to tall dark and handsome. He checked his mental database, then asked, "isn't he a karate champion?" He had a hard time believing the two were one.

Kyoya smiled, and Caine suspected few around him were as informed as he was. "You wouldn't guess based on his personality. He likes sweets and carries around a stuffed rabbit."

"Interesting."

"Finally, there is Fujioka Haruhi. She's an honor student who became a host after she broke a valuable vase. She's hosting in order to pay back her debt."

 _Ah, so there is a sixth_ , Caine thought. _If she's a crossdresser she would need to change for the club, which would explain why I didn't see her while I was there._

"A crossdresser?" he said, intrigued, "at least, I assume the clients think _she_ is a _he_."

"When she first joined Host Club, everyone, myself excluded, thought she was a boy," said Kyoya, "they found out over time, however."

"Really?"

"Her dress and actions are quite masculine," he explained, "although that's no excuse for simply being bad at seeing gender."

Caine raised his right eyebrow, agreeing.

"I hope you like coffee," called Seito, entering the room with four cups. Kyoya nodded his assent and took a sip of his coffee.

"Delicious," he commented as the warmth spread through his body.

"I made it myself," came the voice of Abe from the doorway. He had arrived with four plates of sushi, and the two adults sat down with the students to eat.

Over lunch, they discussed Ouran Academy and Seito talked with Abe about Yabatsukuni. Kyoya forced himself not to eavesdrop overly much, instead telling Caine about some of the events the Host Club had held in the past. Soon enough it was time to return to school.

"Thank you for inviting me to lunch," Kyoya said as they walked back through Ouran's gates.

"Any time, Otori-san," replied Caine easily.

"Caine," Kyoya said seriously, "you might as well call me Kyoya, since we're going to be friends." His friend smiled and nodded, promising to do so.


	10. The Picnic

A/N: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Thank you for reading this far and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Ten: The Picnic

Kyoya wasn't someone who naturally anticipated the weekend; after all, he liked school and was in his element there. This week, however, the impending prospect of the Host Club picnic and the new member it was intended to welcome made him feel the weekend couldn't come soon enough. He planned the picnic carefully, just as he had for all of the Host Club events in the past, but this time, he noticed himself anxiously worrying over whether what he had prepared was good enough. He pushed the thoughts out of his head and forced his nerves to relax themselves, reassuring himself he had never failed to plan the perfect event and that the picnic would be no exception. In class, he noted that Caine was somewhat distracted, and Mira refrained from coming to Host Club all week, reminding him of the invisible yet undeniably powerful presence of their father. Still, Caine maintained his interest in meeting the other hosts and assured Kyoya he shouldn't worry about taking him away from his rarely present father.

Finally, it was Friday. He stayed back a moment from Host Club to tell Caine he would come to pick him up in the morning tomorrow and Caine nodded, saying he would anticipate him. Then the glasses-clad was off to Host Club, dealing with everyone's concerns and excitement over the picnic and meeting Caine. Usually, he felt a vague annoyance at having to fix everyone's problems without much in the way of recognition, but today, it was a welcome distraction from his own thoughts.

He had arranged with the Hitachiin brothers that they would be going to one of their family's private gardens, a lovely green spot on a hill overlooking Tokyo. Although he was forever concerned with making a profit from the Host Club, he also recognized their need to relax and bond together, and the start of a new school year was just the right time to make sure everything within the Host Club was going well. The introduction of new blood in the group (Haruhi, that is) was something the club would have to deal with, and they would be better able to do so without being distracted by their constant guests.

The next morning, he woke up bright and early, silently complaining as he drank his coffee that his weekend sleep would be cut into once again. His driver was waiting out front when he strode out, his face in his usual morning scowl. Luckily, Kyoya had told the man where to take him the night before, saving him from snapping at him now for no other reason than fatigue.

His driver pulled away from the house and Kyoya started dozing in the back seat. When they arrived at the Yabatsukuni house, he was jolted awake suddenly by the car stopping.

"Good morning!" exclaimed a voice that seemed to him inappropriately cheerful for the early hour. He blinked his eyes and looked up–it was Seito, smiling brightly down at him from where he stood, just having opened the car door.

"Whatever," grumbled an irritated voice, and then Caine stepped into view. He was wearing a long grey sweater coat with its hood pulled up over his head, and his eyes told the sleepy story of someone who was not naturally an early riser, a tale Kyoya knew only too well. Pushing past his surrogate father, he slumped into the car alongside his friend.

"Have a great day!" Seito continued cheerfully, handing Caine a large coffee. The boy took it with a desperate grip that told Kyoya Caine's approach to mornings was much like his own. As the car pulled away, Caine downed the coffee like a vampire thirsting after blood, leaned into the car door, and promptly fell asleep. Looking over his friend, Kyoya judged it appropriate to do the same and dozed off as well.

The two were woken once more when they reached the Haninozuka house, where they were met with a similarly sleepy host and the man who carried his tired body to the car, and again when they dropped by the Fujioka apartment, where a wakeful Haruhi graciously kept silent to afford the three sleepers some respite.

Their peace was broken when they arrived at the Hitachiin family's garden and were greeted by a blond, overly emotional, self-proclaimed prince.

"Good morning everyone!" he sang out, unconscious of the car's previously silent atmosphere.

"Senpai," said Haruhi, and the three sleepers stretched and prepared themselves for Tamaki's enthusiasm.

Honey yawned and stretched adorably, then said, "Tama-chan, we brought cake!" using his favorite diversion to give himself a reason to wake up. Mori held up a large box to back up Honey's claim and Tamaki commended Honey on his good thinking.

Kyoya shifted in preparation to getting out of the car and found Caine was leaning up against him, his head on his shoulder. He gently elbowed his friend in the ribs and the boy stirred, rubbing his eyes.

"Everything is prepared, Kyoya?" Tamaki asked. Kyoya gave him a look–if he had helped with the planning he would know– and got out of the car, Haruhi and the third-years following suit.

Caine shifted to the front of the car, taking Kyoya's offered hand and climbing out. There, he removed the sweater coat and tossed it back into the car, revealing a dark blue long-sleeved shirt and light grey jeans.

"Good morning, Suou-kun," he said calmly.

"As promised, this is Caine," introduced Kyoya.

"Hii!" exclaims Suou enthusiastically. Then, aside, to Kyoya, as if Caine wasn't standing right there, he added, "He knows who we are already. That must mean you've talked to him. Kyoya, has he agreed to be a host?" Kyoya noted with amusement Caine was already getting to see what Tamaki was like and wondered what the boy thought of the emotionally overwhelming host.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" replied Kyoya, giving Tamaki the side-eye for his foolishness. Tamaki didn't seem to see it, or if he did, his foolishness was unaffected by it.

"We want you to be a host!" He said to Caine, bright with excitement.

Meanwhile, Caine looked Tamaki up and down, starting to add personality traits to the overall picture of his understanding of the blond boy.

 _It's interesting to see someone who doesn't even attempt to contain his emotions_ , he thought.

He ran a hand through his silver hair, smoothing its unruliness.

"I'm not entirely opposed to it," he offered diplomatically.

"Yay!" cried Tamaki and Honey in unison, "A new host!"

Caine raised his eyebrows at their boundless enthusiasm, then chuckled to himself.

"We'll see," he said simply.

Tamaki was prevented from pressing further by the arrival of the Hitachiin twins.

"Welcome to the hilltop garden!" they announced in unison.

The rest of the club followed them up to the view.

"Wow," chorused Caine and Haruhi softly, neither having seen it before.

"Isn't it just great?" agreed Tamaki. The two ignored him, appreciating the view.

"We'll go get the picnic fare," offered the twins. "Sir, why don't you help us?"

Tamaki turned from admiring Haruhi admire the view.

"Okay! Come on Haruhi!" he replied, following the twins back down the hill the way they'd come.

"This really is impressive," Caine told Kyoya. Kyoya took a moment to admire the view, then began introductions.

"Caine, these two are Haninozuka Mitsukuni and Morinozuka Takashi, the club's third-years."

"You can call me Honey!" said the golden-haired child, smiling at Caine divinely. _Even though Kyoya says he's a year older than us, it's hard to believe with all that youthful energy and charm_ , Caine thought.

"Mori, please," says his tall, dark-haired companion laconically. _Now him, there's no mistaking he's a third-year_ , Caine mentally added.

"Ah, It's a pleasure to meet you, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai," he replied aloud, "I'm Caine."

"Yay, Caine-chan!" Honey exclaimed. "Come play with us!"

As Mori carried Honey down the hill, Caine turned to Kyoya.

"Yes, he calls everyone by familiar nicknames," explained Kyoya, knowing the question Caine held in mind.

"Come on Caine-chan! We have kites!" came the cry from below.

Caine shrugged his shoulders at Kyoya and strolled casually down the hill.

"What did you say to convince him to come?" Kaoru asked Kyoya, having come up behind him.

"We don't call you the shadow king for nothing, sir," added Hikaru. "We know you have some scheme."

Kyoya was about to deny it when he heard a voice.

"Why did you leave me with all of the baskets!" complained Tamaki loudly, interrupting them.

"Are you kidding, sir?" Kaoru criticized, turning from the shadow king to the official king.

"Haruhi is carrying much more than you are," added Hikaru.

"Senpai," Haruhi struggled to say, weighed down by their picnic lunch. Kyoya rushed to her side and alleviated her burden. "Thank you, Kyoya-senpai," she said in reply.

They spread the picnic blankets Tamaki had carried on the ground and started taking out the food.

"I'll go get the others," offered Haruhi, heading down the hill to where Honey, Mori and Caine were flying kites.

There is one problem standing in the way of Caine becoming a host," Kyoya told Tamaki, sitting down next to him on the picnic blanket, "and that is the matter of Mira-sama."

"Mira-sama?" asked Tamaki, confused.

"As I understand it, Caine and Mira-sama are childhood friends. Caine is worried what effect his joining the Host Club could have on this friendship," explained Kyoya, tactfully obscuring Caine and Abel's true relationship and preserving Caine's desired anonymity.

"Ah, I understand," replied Tamaki, who, as usual, did not really understand, "Maybe we could dress Caine up as a woman, so Mira-sama wouldn't recognize him!"

Kyoya sighed, forcing himself not to roll his eyes. Tamaki's ideas were ridiculous, as usual. "I don't think that would work, Tamaki," he said, long resigned to Tamaki's crazy plans.

"But we _could_ dress him up differently," Kaoru commented, no doubt planning up strange new costumes.

"There's got to be some way Mira-sama won't recognize him," added Hikaru, "maybe with makeup, as well . . ."

"Maybe Caine-san could just talk to Mira-sama," suggested Haruhi, who had returned with Honey, Mori and Caine in tow, "perhaps she actually wouldn't mind him hosting."

Kyoya gave thanks for Haruhi's ability to see to the heart of the problem and propose the most logical and simple solution.

"I suppose it's possible it might be that simple," he replied thoughtfully.

"Enough of worrying," said Hikaru.

"Let's eat," said Kaoru, finishing his twin's sentence. Together, they took chopsticks and dug into their picnic lunch.


	11. Caine's Decision

A/N: Not Hatori-sensei, so I don't own OHSHC. Thank you for continuing to read and please enjoy chapter eleven!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Eleven: Caine's Decision

As the Host Club lunched, Kyoya watched Caine avidly, trying to gauge if he seemed to be fitting in with the others. It was key that he liked them and they him in order for him to develop the desire to join the club. He had clearly taken to Honey, who was easy to like and wanted to be friends with everyone, and Mori always followed Honey's lead. The twins were harder to read, but Caine seemed to be doing well, defending his food from theft and even mischievously returning the favor. He was glad this was Caine's first introduction to the club. Here, the hosts were all at ease, not distracted by customers, instead showing their true, fun-loving natures.

The garden was very relaxing, a slight breeze blowing up the hill from the city below. It was a good-weather day, only a few white wisps of cloud in the sky.

"It's so lovely here," Tamaki waxed poetically, "we should come here more often." Kyoya ignored him, taking a drink instead of responding. The blond-haired host said the same about every place they visited on retreat, but promptly forgot the serenity of the places when the hosts returned to Ouran and to "work". Kyoya was certain the host club king had short-term memory loss problems. After a few moments of rare Host Club silence, Tamaki set down his rice bowl and continued wondering out loud about Caine, acting as if the previous conversation had never been interrupted.

"Do you think the reason Caine thinks there could be a problem with Mira-sama if he was a host is because he likes her?" he said, gossiping like a young girl.

Although Tamaki saw none of them do it, Caine choked slightly on a piece of shrimp tempura and both Kyoya and Haruhi rolled their eyes–Kyoya, because he knew the two were, in reality, twins, and Haruhi because she was sensible. Tamaki, clueless as ever, continued in the same vein.

"It would be so adorable if the Host Club was able to bring them together!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands at what he thought was the brilliance of his idea.

Kyoya wanted to bury his face in his hands at Tamaki's foolishness, but, luckily, Haruhi saved him from having to by reprimanding Tamaki.

"I don't think that's the case, senpai," she admonished, "I think they are simply childhood friends, and being a host is somewhat," and here she clearly wanted to say _very_ , "different from Caine's natural personality."

Tamaki looked heartbroken. Kyoya knew he wanted to the world to be as flamboyant as he was and was disappointed it didn't often come up to the mark.

Caine, recovering from choking, noticed Tamaki's downcast expression.

"Is everything alright, Suou-kun?" he questioned, unused to Tamaki's wild mood swings.

Tamaki practically leaped onto him, hugging him tightly out of the blue.

"PLEASE call me Tamaki!" he cried, "I want to be your friend! Tell me everything!"

Naturally, Caine looked more than a little uneasy. Tamaki could be physically and emotionally overwhelming at times.

"He tends to go overboard," Kyoya, who he could see over Tamaki's shoulder, explained with a long-suffering air, "but he means well."

"I DO mean well," agreed Tamaki enthusiastically, but he let go of the silver-haired boy.

He sighed and gave a look that said, _alright then_ , glad to be free of him.

"So how do we convince Mira-sama to agree to let Caine join Host Club?" asked Tamaki, continuing, again, the previous conversation right where it had left off.

"We could bribe her with cake," suggested Honey, who was clearly not really trying.

"Mhm," replied Mori, suggesting to Honey that such a tactic would only work on Honey himself.

"But we could bribe her," said Hikaru, again latching onto an idea.

"With pretty dresses," added Kaoru.

"Or . . . something," Hikaru finished.

"If only… if only To-sama could be convinced it would be beneficial, he could bring Mira on board," Caine absentmindedly said to no one in particular, not thinking they would take his suggestion seriously.

"Who's To-sama?" the other hosts asked Kyoya in whispers only he could hear.

"He means Yabatsukuni-sama, Mira's father," he whisper-explained in reply, "Caine sees him as a second father, so he calls him oto-san, but his social standing is so much higher he has to be oto-sama to him." In reality, he knew the "sama" was only a mark of Caine's immense respect for the man who had adopted him and his sister, raising them up from nothing after the death of their mother, his half-sister.

"Ohhh," they whisper-replied with understanding. They, as all of their standing, knew without asking of the powerful Yabatsukuni.

Haruhi, always suspecting the simple solution would, in fact, be the easiest one, said,

"Would it be possible to convince him?"

Kyoya gave her the side-eye. He seriously doubted Haruhi knew enough about Yabatsukuni to be saying such a thing. Surely it couldn't be that simple?

But Caine didn't seem so doubtful.

"Mira has said he has long thought I would benefit from trying to be more social," he mused, "and couched in the right terms, it is _possible_ he would go for it."

Haruhi, unobserved, gave a little smile that her simple idea had gained more ground than the others' more elaborate plans.

"Kyoya-kun," said Caine, turning to him, "you'll help me, right?"

He nodded.

"Of course."

"Yay!" exclaimed Tamaki with his usual high level of excitement, "we got Caine to be a host! But," he said, realizing there was still something to solve, "what style of hosting will he have . . ." He stood, his chin in his hand, lost in thought and completely ignored by the others. Kyoya gave him a look that said, _we can deal with that later, after we even know if he_ can _be a host._


	12. Yabatsukuni Yanamune

A/N: I don't own Ouran Host Club. Thanks for continuing to read this long story and I hope you enjoy chapter twelve.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twelve: Yabatsukuni Yanamune

Tamaki was enthusiastic to have Caine join the Host Club as soon as possible, so he convinced Kyoya and Caine to go and see Yabatsukuni as soon as the picnic was over. He wanted to come along and help plead the case for the Host Club, but all it took was one look of mutual understanding between Caine and Kyoya for both to understand neither wanted him there. A serious approach was needed, and Tamaki, while enthusiastic, was rarely serious. So it was decided Mori and Honey would drop off him and Haruhi (he was so ecstatic about the prospect of seeing Haruhi's house that Kyoya shared a telepathic look with Mori to make him offer to drive instead). Kyoya and Caine, meanwhile, would return to the Yabatsukuni house to convince Caine's father to allow him to participate in Host Club.

As they rode back in the car together, Kyoya was anxious to know what Caine's impression of the other hosts was.

"You were right that you have to see Tamaki in action to believe it," his friend commented when asked what he thought of the hosts, "it's hard for me to believe someone can maintain that high a level of emotions so constantly."

Kyoya chuckled.

"That's what I thought, too, at first," he replied.

"And now?"

"I'm used to it."

"Honey-senpai is another surprise," Caine went on, "even after we had picked up him and Mori I still expected him to have a more karate-champion-like personality." He smiled, thinking of Honey's childlike innocence and glee. "But I think I like his real personality better."

"And the twins?"

"Ah, well, I'm naturally predisposed to like twins, being one," he said. "And they seem the good type, if a little naive." Kyoya looked at him in admiration for noticing. The twins liked to put up an all-knowing front, especially with their who's-Hikaru-who's-Kaoru game, but they really didn't know much of the world. He wouldn't have expected someone who didn't know them very well to see such a thing, but, after all, Caine had already proved himself to be a person of rare intelligence, so perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised.

"I can already tell I'll get along with Haruhi–she's the most sensible of the group," added Caine, chuckling to himself. No doubt he was remembering Tamaki's wild suppositions and how well Haruhi had dispelled them, knowing the truth somehow despite being unaware of Caine's true identity and relationship to Mira.

"So?" Kyoya asked, his eagerness to hear his friend's decision coming through despite his attempt at sounding disinterested.

Caine paused, processing, then nodded thoughtfully. "I'd like to give it a go," he resolved.

They had sat in silence for a while until the car finally pulled up to the Yabatskuni home. As they got out of the car and passed through the front gates Kyoya could feel Caine suddenly tensing up. He turned to Kyoya, his expression betraying his anxiety to Kyoya, although he knew to others it would seem an impenetrable mask.

"Let me go in first," he said tonelessly.

As he disappeared into the mansion ahead of him, Kyoya quickly composed himself. It would be his first time seeing the famed Yabatsukuni in person, and he felt both excitement and trepidation at the prospect of convincing him to allow Caine to join host club. He mentally prepared the words he would need, then followed Caine inside.

Meanwhile, worry leant swiftness to Caine's step as he walked towards his father's study. He knew Mira would already be there, and he worried that with Mira's knowledge of host club she could convince their father not to let him join. Not for the first time, he wondered why he even wanted to join host club in the first place. The picnic with the other hosts at the hilltop garden had been enjoyable, and he already considered himself friends with Kyoya, Honey and Mori, but he knew what a host club was. He would have to flirt with girls there. Even with his high intelligence, it was not something he knew how to do. And there it was, something he didn't know. It was rare he came up against a blind spot in his sometimes dizzying intellect, and it both excited and frightened him.

But the time for thinking was over, as he was already at the door to his father's study. So many memories of coming to this door when his father finally returned home rose in his mind as he pushed open to the door, as he had so many times before.

There he sat, the man who had so much power over him and others. Yabatsukuni Yanamune wasn't a particularly tall or imposing man, just an ordinary-looking, slender man with thick-rimmed glasses. But it was what shone in his eyes that made him special. In them, you could see the man who had been seen as the unimportant second son all his life, who had recovered from near-death injuries sustained in the accident that killed the older brother who was both the family heir and his best friend, who had recovered from both this loss and that of his beloved wife Kaori to take his place at the head of an immeasurably successful company, all the while raising his illegitimate half-sister's orphaned twins. Caine knew he would have been impressed by him even if he hadn't known how much he had overcome to become the Yabatsukuni family head, but, as well as he knew him, he practically worshipped him. It was a sentiment he knew his sister shared.

"To-sama," he said, bowing, his heart burning, as it always did, with pride that the man was his father. He turned from where he was sitting with Mira, the smile he reserved only for his children shining across his face.

"You're back," he said, beaming, "come, sit with us."

He came closer, but not as close as he would had he not had serious matters to discuss.

"To-sama, I . . . I have to talk to you about something."

Now Mira turned too, hearing the gravity in her brother's voice. Then she heard words that shocked her more than any she had ever heard from Caine,

"I am planning to join a social group at school," he said, "actually," he added, lowering his gaze from his father's face, "it's a host club."

Yabatsukuni choked out a little laugh, then silenced himself quickly as he saw the anxiety in Caine's face. Mira was frozen in shock beside him, her lips silently mouthing, _Host Club?_.

"To that effect," Caine continued, "there is someone you should meet." He turned and walked back towards the door, opening it to reveal, to Mira's impossibly high shock, Kyoya.

Out of the corner of his eye, Caine saw Mira's jaw drop open.

"Kyoya-kun?" she breathed out through her surprise.

Kyoya bowed, "Mira-sama. Sir, my name is Otori Kyoya. It is an honor to meet you."

Yabatsukuni waved it away, "Otori? I know your father."

It was a pleasantry–it was obvious two such high-ranking men would know each other.

"You are one of the hosts?" he stated, encouraging Kyoya to go on.

"Yes, sir. Caine and I believe his joining the host club would be beneficial for him socially."

"But he wants to join it as an anonymous man, and not the son of a Yabatsukuni," finished Yabatsukuni, spelling out the trouble that had brought them to him. Kyoya saw instantly where Caine had gotten his intelligence from, and admired the man even more. "If Caine has decided he would like to do it, then aside from the hilarious idea of Caine attempting to flirt with girls, I see no problem . . ." he trailed off, his eyes shifting from one twin to the other, " . . . but of course. Mira attends this host club, doesn't she?" He smiled and chuckled dryly, no doubt imagining Caine attempting to flirt with his flamboyant twin. "So you come to me to obtain her cooperation," Yabatsukuni finished his thought.

All three of them turned to look at Mira, who was still frozen in place, having still not gotten over her shock at Caine's declaration and Kyoya's arrival.

Yabatsukuni turned back to Caine, "Joining this club is what you want? You believe it would aid in your recovery?" he asked simply.

The room fell silent. Finally, Caine sighed deeply and responded.

"I've thought about it, and yes."

"Then make sure to explain it to him," he said, making himself understood to Caine and confusing both Mira, who was easily confused, and Kyoya, who was not. Caine nodded his assent.

Kyoya filed it away to ask about later.

"I'll have a talk with Mira," he agreed. He shot a grave look at Caine, who nodded in reply. Then Kyoya saw Caine and his father share an intense telepathic look, the meaning of which he couldn't decipher, and Caine turned and walked out, indicating to Kyoya to follow.

As they left the study to wait outside, Kyoya marveled at how easy convincing Yabatsukuni had been. He had prepared lengthy arguments, but, it seemed, needed none of them. It seemed strange that Caine had considered it a problem.

He followed Caine to where he leant against the wall, then turned to him, remarking,

"That was a lot easier than I thought it would be."

But Caine wasn't listening to him. He had sunk down the wall to sit along the baseboard, a dark and almost unreadable look on his face.

 _It wasn't over yet._

He slid down the wall to sit beside his friend, and then he heard Yabatsukuni's laughter from inside the room. Caine, too, heard it, and tensed perceptively.

"Caine, in a host club!" his father gasped out between his laughs. His voice carried through the slightly open door, "I can hardly believe it! Can you imagine Caine flirting with girls?"

He was answered with a higher laugh. Mira, it seemed, had recovered from her surprise.

"It's ridiculous," Mira replied, then her voice chilled harshly, "but it won't work."

There was a silence as Yabatsukuni raised one eyebrow.

"I haven't forgotten how he was before Hokkaido," Mira added, almost cruelly, "have you?"

"He's different now," Yabatsukuni replied after a long, almost painful silence, "this is a chance for us to see how well he holds up under pressure."

"And what if he doesn't hold up?" Mira said, "what if he cracks? What if it's like it was the last time?"

"You mean, what if we find ourselves in the hospital again?" finished Yabatsukuni, his voice clearly carrying all the way to Kyoya and Caine's ears.

Beside Kyoya, Caine shrunk further into himself. This, clearly, was what he had been waiting for.

The reason he had been so hesitant to suggest going directly to his father for aid: he knew he would have to endure this. For his part, Kyoya knew not to ask what Yabatsukuni meant when he said _what if we find ourselves in the hospital again_. This, he could see, was what had paled his face the first day they met when he told him he knew who Caine really was. This was what kept him reserved and apart at school, although he had seen his friend could relax at home. It was odd to see the boy who always seemed so composed in a moment of vulnerability. Something tightened around Kyoya's heart.

"I have faith in him," answered Yabatsukuni, and Caine relaxed a miniscule amount, "he's strong enough now. And I'll be responsible for ensuring he has the support he needs."

"If you truly believe he can do it, I will stand with him," Mira said, finally, and Caine relaxed more. He stood up and beckon Kyoya to follow her back into the study.

There, Yabatsukuni and Mira were sitting together, and for once, he could not read Mira's expression. Instead, the fabulous twin looked, for once, like her brother, her face closed, the emotions that usually compared favorably with Tamaki's restrained. He turned to look at Caine, noting his face was the same. It was the first time he could truly see their twinned natures. Yabatsukuni's face was the same mask, and, for an instant, he could see the family resemblance usually hidden because he was truly only their half-uncle, but, quickly, the serious masks dropped from his and Mira's faces and they smiled at Caine, their faces contradicting their recent words.

"Sorry," said Mira apologetically, "but you know it was necessary."

Caine smiled at his sister, "I know."

He knew she meant her words. When he had returned from Hokkaido renewed, they had established the practice to bring a harsh, yet necessary, reminder to him. Their goal, they had said, was to show him what he might have to go through in advance, to tear him down themselves so he could decide if he was strong enough for what he might face. And it worked. Cruel words from kind hearts were easier to weather than cruel words from cruel ones.

Caine turned to his father. Yabatsukuni's face returned for a moment to its former gravity, and he said, mysteriously, "I meant what I said. Should you require it, I will bring him here." Caine nodded, his face matching his father's. Kyoya wondered again who this mysterious man was. In that instant, Caine and his father dropped their serious demeanors and smiled at each other.

"I never thought I'd see the day when our Caine would flirt with girls! It will surely be something to see," said Mira. Then, he heard her echo Tamaki, "But what style of hosting will he have… ?"


	13. Ryoka

A/N: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. I don't have eight million yen either. What I do have is this story, so I thank you for continuing to read and I hope you enjoy chapter thirteen.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

One last A/N before you go on: Just so you know, this chapter carries a trigger warning for mentions of bullying and of a suicide attempt. Everyone, let's not forget we should always respect and be kind to others. Thank you.

Chapter Thirteen: Ryoka

The pressure of convincing Yabatsukuni relieved, Caine and Kyoya went into the garden, settling on a bench beside an artificial lake, shielded from the house by a small stand of evergreens.

Caine turned towards Kyoya, his face serious.

"Regarding what you just heard, there is something you should probably know," he said, his voice grave. "With your knowledge, you may have heard something of it before, but I consider it my duty to tell you myself, as I experienced it."

Kyoya looked at his friend expectantly. So this was it: an explanation of why the Yabatsukuni family had suddenly moved back to Tokyo after close to twenty years in Kyoto.

"When my family still lived in Kyoto I wasn't yet known as Caine. I'm sure you know this already, but my real name is Ryoka, and that was what I was called." Caine took a deep breath and continued. "I'm sure you've noticed this already as well, but my demeanor and physical appearance is somewhat feminine. I tend quite clearly towards reserved; actually, my level of sociability is the result of hard work. When I was younger, I was so shy I bordered on antisocial. As a result of these characteristics, I was bullied by a group of my fellow students at the school I attended in Kyoto. It's probable they also bullied me out of jealousy of my famous name. Their actions only exacerbated my social anxiety and it became so strong I ended up barely able to speak."

He sank his head into one hand, repetitively twisting a strand of silver hair around one finger. Watching, Kyoya recognized it wasn't an absentminded action–it was a nervous tic. He waited, letting the silence stretch, allowing his friend time to choose his words.

"Day after day, the pressure of my anxiety only built. Despite my love of learning, I dreaded going to school as I meant facing the looks, the words that brought me nothing but shame and despair. I considered becoming hikikomori, but felt that doing so would only bring even more shame to my family than my nervous wreck nature meant I already was. The longer I remained in that state of affairs, the more I felt suffocated, as if even the very air I so desired to breathe was judging me and finding me wanting."

Silver-blue eyes sought out dark ones, assessing Kyoya's reaction.

Caine continued, "Eventually, I reached my limit and attempted to end my suffering by ending my life. I drew up a bath and got in with a knife, intending never to re-emerge."

Kyoya's breath was tight in his chest as he waited for the story to continue. Again, Caine cast him a glance, watching his expression.

"Fortunately, Ryu-chichi had an unexplainable desire for a midday bath and found me in time. My father was away in Tokyo at the time, but flew home immediately when he heard what had happened. He personally drove to pick me up from the hospital (yes, my father, who barely knows his way around a car) and from there we departed immediately for Hokkaido, where a man I consider my uncle lives on a secluded farm. We didn't even tell my sister before leaving; she learned from Haruka, my father's personal assistant, where we had gone. We stayed there two weeks and by the time we returned I was a changed man. I still barely spoke to anyone, but my uncle had taught me a way to deal with the harsh way I was treated and make their insults roll off my back as water."

"It was after I returned to school that I acquired the name Caine. You doubtlessly know of the twin siblings of legend, Caine and Abel?"

Kyoya nodded.

"My former bullies reacted to my transformation as if I had announced I was joining the yakuza, spreading rumors behind my back I had gone away to learn karate secrets that could kill a man. Following my uncle's instruction that response to their toxic words was futile and could only re-embroil me in their cruel games, I ignored them. Unfortunately, while this proved an effective tactic for me, it bestowed on me great and extraordinarily unwanted notoriety. Everyone feared and avoided me like the plague, whispering behind my back that I'd gone berserk and was dangerous. Thus, I became known in whispers as Caine."

"I no longer paid them any mind, but it became clear a better course of action would be to leave the rumors, as well as their inventors, behind. My father had already been considering a move to Tokyo, so we decided on that course of action. I was in no hurry to have the false and damaging rumors follow me here, so I capitalized upon my nickname and requested anonymity, using the name I was given in mockery to rise above it."

"I have recovered from my wish for an end, but the anxiety that drove me to such lengths will never completely leave me. My uncle teaches me as I believe only he can and my family is constant in their support, and with what they give me I continue as I am able."

Caine sat back, the weight of the story lifted off his chest. For a long moment, both of the boys were silent, then Kyoya said,

"Thank you. I understand how hard it was for you to share that, and I'm glad you were able to trust me with it."

"Now we're really friends," joked Caine, cracking a nervous smile.

"As for your femininity and reserved nature, who cares?" added Kyoya. "It's what's in your head that matters, not what you look like. You can look as strange as you want as long as you're smart and determined. Besides, the world cannot be entirely composed of extroverts, no matter how they might like it to be."

Caine smiled a more natural smile at his words.

"Honestly, it's you I should be thanking," he said. "Your reaction is exactly what I have hoped for ever since it happened."

They sat in silence for a moment, then Kyoya rose to his feet.

"I have to be going, but I'll see you at Host Club Monday?"

Caine laughed. "That's right," he said, "we still have to choose a hosting style for me."


	14. Hot and Cold

A/N: Still don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Thank you once again for continuing to read and I hope you like chapter fourteen.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Fourteen: Hot and Cold

Despite the events of that weekend, Kyoya was still surprised to see Caine in Host Club that morning. He had been even more reserved in class, contributing only sparsely, and Kyoya had seriously worried he would avoid Host Club just as he seemed to be avoiding Kyoya himself. The raven-haired boy couldn't keep from shooting glances at his seatmate nearly the entire class period, splitting his attention between Caine and the lesson, trying to figure out if there was anything wrong. It could just be that it was a Monday, but with Caine, he had realized, it was hard to tell.

When Kyoya arrived at Host Club, he saw the silver-haired boy reading a book by the window and let out a silent sigh of relief. So he hadn't gone back on his decision to join them–at least, not yet. His eyes were drawn from Caine to the others: Tamaki, Haruhi, and the twins were gathered in the middle of the room, trying to decide what hosting style their new participant should adopt.

Kyoya raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to acknowledge his friend, seeing he had looked up briefly from his book as he entered. Approaching the conversation at the heart of the room, he listened in.

"Shouldn't Caine wear a uniform, like the rest of the hosts?" asked Haruhi, who was a natural, and thus didn't have much of an idea of what host styles there were. Instead, she was addressing something totally unrelated, "I mean, it wasn't until after you guys put me in one that I started hosting."

"That's only because we didn't notice how incredibly CUTE you were until we saw you in one!" shouted Tamaki, who, as usual, didn't seem to notice his volume, both vocally and emotionally, was much higher than everyone else's.

"And the girls seemed to like him well enough out of one," added Hikaru, sounding almost bored.

"Well, I guess it's his choice," replied Haruhi, no doubt wishing she had some choice in the matter too.

"What do you think, Kyoya?" asked Tamaki, noticing him.

"Hikaru's right," he said simply, "and the difference could be part of Caine's style."

"I've been racking my brain, and I just can't think of how Caine can host!" exclaimed Tamaki, almost tearing his hair as he said it.

"That's because you don't know him very well," Kyoya replied dryly.

"Well, you haven't told us very much about him!" replied Tamaki, exasperated. He looked distressed at the realization that he didn't have access to the secrets of the universe.

"Um… Kyo-chan, he's right," said Honey plaintively. He and Mori had come in behind Kyoya, but the older boys had picked up quickly on the other hosts' conversation.

"Mhm," agreed Mori.

"Well, he's originally from America," Kyoya volunteered, finding himself surprisingly reluctant to tell the other hosts much about his friend. Why would he want to keep details about Caine to himself? That was illogical, since they would find certain things out through their acquaintance anyway. And it was certain the other hosts would never garner enough knowledge on the boy to rival his own. Not that should matter to him, anyway.

Kaoru's voice broke through his trance.

"He's a foreigner?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

"Well, yes…" he said, adding, to the side, "and considering his looks, you shouldn't be so surprised to hear it." Casting a glance in the silver-headed American's direction, he continued, explaining, "he was born in America, but came to Japan when he was very young."

"Oh…" echoed everyone.

"But I'm foreign too," said Tamaki, "and…"

Kyoya cut him off, "I don't think Caine will have a style the least bit like yours." As he had expected, the blond boy sunk to the ground in his depression.

Suddenly, Caine was at his side, kneeling down gently next to him. His eyes were full of concern, unused as he was to Tamaki's sudden slumps. Kyoya looked at him in surprise: he hadn't even seen him put down his book or come over. Naturally, the other hosts, who were less perceptive, were even more shocked.

"Calm down, Suou-kun. You really shouldn't worry so much over something so little," he said.

Instantly, Tamaki brightened up, turning to face Caine. The boy looked slightly startled Tamaki had flipped his emotional compass so quickly; he wasn't used to the blond host's wild mood swings.

"You have to call me Tamaki!" the amethyst-eyed host insisted, but that clearly wasn't his focus. He almost glowed with excitement, his discovery ( _or mad invention_ , thought Kyoya) shining in his eyes, "that will be Caine's style! Hot and cold!"

Caine moved away from him, his pale blue-grey eyes chilling and narrowing.

"I don't think it's quite like that," Kyoya said, filling in the words he knew Caine wanted to say in a voice chilled through with ice.

"But he does have a point," said Haruhi, her voice surprising everyone, "I didn't think you were even paying attention to us, reading that book across the room. But the moment Tamaki-senpai collapsed, you were instantly at his side."

Yet again Kyoya was glad Haruhi had become part of the host club. Her insight was uncanny, and she seemed to be able to find the sensible argument in Tamaki's outrageous suggestions.

"Maybe it could be warm and cool," she added hesitantly, "that's a little better than hot and cold, isn't it?"

"So I just read a book or listen to music and help people when I see they need it?" Caine asked, seeming confused by Haruhi's proposal's simplicity, "I guess we could try it out."


	15. Flirting with Girls, Haruhi?

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Please enjoy chapter fifteen.

And to the guest reader who pointed out the chapter posting issues, thank you.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Fifteen: Flirting With Girls, Haruhi?

As the other hosts got ready to open up the host club for business, Caine realized he had one small qualm to address. He beckoned Haruhi towards the window where he had been sitting with his book.

"Listen, Fujioka-san…"

"Oh, Haruhi is fine," she interrupted quickly, "everyone else in this club calls me by my first name anyway."

"Well, Haruhi-san," he restarted, "there's only one thing. I… there is some concern these girls might confess their love for the hosts, isn't there?" He realized he was being somewhat evasive, but wasn't quite sure how to ask his question. It wasn't something he was used to asking about.

"Yes," she said blandly.

"And how do you react?"

She turned her head towards me and gave me a tired gaze, "I just turn them down." She narrowed her eyes, "why do you ask me?"

"You seem the most levelheaded. Besides… you're like me, Haruhi."

For a long moment she simply looked at him, her expression a mix of tired and confused. Caine recognized he might have jumped to conclusions and decided to explain what was really troubling him.  
"Haruhi, I'm not mistaken in thinking you like girls, am I?"

She peered at him as if she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

"What? No," she said, not yet understanding why he had brought the prospect up. Then the light of understanding gradually dawned on her features.

"Caine, don't tell me, you like boys?"

Caine cast an uncharacteristically awkward look to the side and nodded his head.

"Oh!" Haruhi exclaimed quietly. "I thought there was something I was missing about you," she said easily. "You know, you do look a little feminine," she added, "but that's only a stereotype, it doesn't mean anything. Most of the host club does, and as far as I know they like girls."

Caine couldn't help himself, he laughed.

"I think love is a lot more simple than people seem to think," she concluded, "I know there are an unfortunate number of people out there who think being gay is something to be ashamed of, but I disagree. I consider love a personal matter, just between you and the person you love. If you'd like to keep it a secret for personal reasons, I'll support you," and here she abandoned her seriousness to smile a little wickedly, "and besides, I want to see Tamaki-senpai's face when he finally finds out."

Caine returned her smile, imagining the overreactive host's explosive reaction.

And so began his first day as host.


	16. The Host Club Now Presents: Caine!

A/N: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club, as usual. Thank you for continuing to read and I hope you enjoy chapter sixteen. Caine is finally making his debut as a host!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Sixteen: The Host Club Now Presents: Caine!

As the host club's customers for the day began streaming in, Tamaki was at his best, having put himself in announcer mode to introduce his newest acquisition.

"For you, as promised, we have brought CAINE!" He said over and over, almost personalizing it for each of the girls. Caine, reading at the window, rolled his eyes secretly to hear him. His presence really wasn't something to get that worked up over, even if he was now a novelty host. The girls, however, looked thrilled at the blond prince's announcement, and a few of them even curiously came over to where he was sitting and reading. They circled around him, peering at him as if he was a book they had yet to open, seeking to read him even as he read his book.

After a few moments, following something which was half Tamaki and Kyoya's instructions and half his own inclination, he glanced up at them briefly. Making eye contact with the one who seemed to be their leader, he returned his gaze back to his book as quickly as he had lifted his eyes from the surface of the page. Just as Tamaki had predicted, his movement sent them into flutters of hyperactive excitement.

"He looked at me!" One of them whispered in a high pitch.

"No, me!" argued several others.

"Shh!" silenced their leader, "can't you see he's shy?" This brought forth high-pitched squeaking noises from several of them, which seemed to be their method of showing approval.

For a while, they simply watched him read, chins propped on hands and eyes wide. Then, across the room, Mori entered with a giant cake, presumably for Honey, and, unable to stop himself, Caine looked up to glance at the cake with longing. He had always had a sweet tooth.

The girls, who were already watching him with eagle eyes, noticed instantly.

"Do you… do you want some cake?" One of the shyer girls asked.

Caine felt suddenly that he was at a crucial moment. He lowered his book slightly, turned his gaze towards her, and smiled one of his trademark half smiles.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Ikee," she replied shyly, the worry audible in her voice "I mean, Hayakuza Ikee," she added, blushing.

"Well, Hayakuza-san, if it's not too much trouble, I would like some" he answered. "You should get yourself some too, if you want." The other girls melted at his words.

She put her hand to her chest and blushed deeply. "Of course it's not too much trouble!" she said, her voice a high squeak.

She hurried across the room to where Honey and Mori were sitting. She bent her head low, clearly asking Honey for some of the cake, and Caine saw Honey flash him a look that compared favorably for the cutest look he had ever seen.

When she returned, it was with an entire new cake, and Caine made sure to cut it evenly into as many pieces as there were girls around him in order to wipe some of the jealousy of Hayakuza off their faces.

"So you have a sweet tooth, Caine-san?" their leader asked, clearly wanting to win back his attention. "I'm Kuruna Ritsuko," she added.

Caine looked up at her, taken aback. "I guess so," he replied without thinking, "no one's really asked me that before." It was true, and he meant nothing by it, but there was triumph in her face at taking back what she imagined to be his favor.

They ate in silence for a few seconds, but it was only a short silence as the girls were thinking of ways to get his attention once more.

"Say," said one who was sticking close to Kuruna and was clearly more like her than Hayakuza, "what was that book you were reading?" She gestured to the book Caine had put down to pick up his cake.

"This?" Caine asked, putting down his plate and wiping his hands on his napkin, careful not to get any crumbs on the book. "It's George Orwell's _1984_ , miss..."

"Ayatome Natsuko," she filled in.

"I can understand why you wouldn't know what it was, Ayatome-san," he continued, "considering I'm reading it in the original English."

"Wow," chorused several of the surrounding girls.

"You must be really good at English," said Ayatome, keen to press her advantage.

"Well, I was born in America, so I grew up speaking it…"

"You're a foreigner?" Ayatome asked, sounding genuinely unaware of the foolishness of her question. Hearing it for the second time, Caine quickly suppressed an eye roll. _Isn't it clear from my non-Japanese appearance?_ He thought to himself.

But he didn't have to say anything.

Kuruna, who wanted to get back on top, said, "isn't it obvious?"

"I thought so, too," added Hayakuza more quietly, and soon all the girls were against Ayatome, saying, _well of course he is_ , and _he doesn't look very Japanese at all_.

"What's it about?" asked a girl who was clearly more like Hayakuza with her shyness.

"Miss…?"  
"Um... I'm Tanaka Mikuru," she said even more quietly than before.

"Well, Tanaka-san, it's about an authoritarian dystopian future," Caine replied, unintentionally supporting the image of him as an eloquent and sophisticated foreigner which was growing in the minds of his guests. His words earned him another chorus of wows. Tanaka's eyes shone with inspiration and she said she would read it as soon as she left host club.

As he continued talking with them, from across the room, Caine saw Kyoya shoot him an approving look. He was doing well on his first day.

After the girls had left, the other hosts hurried over to Caine, seeking feedback on his initial experience as a host.

"So, how was your first day?" asked Kyoya, looking vaguely concerned. Caine had seen him watching over him as he was with his customers and knew he had been checking up on him.

"Actually, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be," he replied honestly.

Tamaki's face shone with pride. "SEE? I knew he would make a good host. Didn't I say the same for Haruhi?"

"That's right, boss," said Kaoru, sounding tired of Tamaki's antics.

"You predicted it right from the very start," Hikaru added sarcastically.

Changing the subject before the king could overthink the twins' words and sink into a dramatic depression, Honey sweetly commented, "Mira-chan wasn't here today."

"Mhm," agreed Mori.

"She's staying home to be with her father," Caine explained, "she probably won't be in host club for a while, in fact."

"Oh," replied Honey sadly, "I wanted to see what she would think of you hosting, Caine-chan."

Although he didn't say anything, didn't even change his facial expression, Caine could feel Kyoya thinking the same thing.

"I'm sure she would LOVE you!" exclaimed Tamaki, who still hadn't forgotten his dream of bringing what he thought was unrequited love to fruition. Kyoya and Caine shot him a shared look that shot his dreams down once again.

"Actually," Kyoya said to Caine once the others had gone to clean up the room, "I'm surprised you can be here with us instead of home with your father."

"Well, I didn't want to miss my first day here," Caine replied, "but I'll see him when I get home." He moved to leave and Kyoya gave him a small smile of farewell.

"I'll give your goodbyes to the other hosts," he said.


	17. Caine the American

A/N: I'm sorry, I meant to publish this on Friday, but I was on vacation without wifi. So, without further ado, I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club, thank you for reading so far, and I hope you like chapter seventeen!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Seventeen: Caine the American

When Caine entered host club later that week, it had been transformed. Now it looked like some scene out of a American Wild West movie. Tamaki was dressed like a rancher, in a cowboy hat and boots, as was Mori, and the twins and Honey were dressed as Native Americans, with leather and face paint.

He must have looked shocked, because Honey and Mori came over to him immediately.

"Tama-chan likes to do dress-up events!" explained Honey enthusiastically.

"We have your costume," added Mori in his deep voice. It was the most Caine had ever heard him say.

He bypassed his disbelief at the costumes enough to ask, "But, how do you know what size I am?" Honey and Mori looked pointedly over at the twins, who were holding up a Native American costume that looked his size.

"Of course, the Hitachiins," he realized, "their parents run a clothing line, don't they?" Caine took the outfit and headed to the dressing room, where he saw a cowboy version of Haruhi, looking similarly resigned to her fate. Somehow Kyoya had known instinctively that he didn't like to go topless and made sure to have his upper half covered, in contrast with Honey and the twins, who were shirtless.

When he came out, he found them complaining about it, "We wanted to give you an outfit like ours," Kaoru said, the annoyance clearly visible on his face.

"But Kyoya said you don't like going shirtless," Hikaru finished his twin's sentence.

Caine shot a quick glance at Kyoya, telepathically thanking him and assuring him his deduction was correct.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "It makes me uncomfortable," he said, annoyed that the words even had to come out of his mouth.

"Aw, you're blushing," said Tamaki, ignoring that Caine was, in fact, not blushing, "so cute."

Kyoya, who was also dressed like a cowboy, crossed the room to join them.

"Is the costume acceptable, Caine-san?" he asked. Oddly, it almost looked like _he_ was blushing.

Caine dropped his arms and stretched himself out a little. "Yes, it feels alright." The twins had come up behind him and were tying feathers into his hair and putting streaks of paint on his face. He found it was actually kind of amusing. "Do you really do this often?"

Everyone but Kyoya looked a little puzzled at my question. "Yes," said Haruhi.

"But we haven't done Cowboys and Indians before," said Tamaki happily, "I was inspired by your American birth." Caine was unsurprised to hear Tamaki, the unsung creative genius, had come up with the theme.

"Well, do we change our hosting to go with the theme somehow?" he asked, confused.

"Not really," replied Haruhi tiredly, resigned to Tamaki's weirdness.

"Okay."

The girls entered, excited by the new theme. Caine could see why they chose to shake things up–to please the customers.

"Oh, I can really see your American origins now," said Ayatome, who was back. The other girls, this time with Caine joining them, gave her the same look they had before when she was surprised he was foreign.

"Just because he's American doesn't make him Indian, you dummy," said Kuruna, chastising her. Ayatome looked chastened.

Caine picked up the book he had set down to get changed, wanting to get in a little reading while he was hosting, but no such luck.

"What are you reading this time?" asked Tanaka, quietly, almost as if she didn't want to disturb him while he was reading.

"Oh, it's Animal Farm," Caine replied absently.

"Isn't that also by George Orwell?" she asked, surprising him with her insight.

"Why, yes," he replied.

"Is he a favorite author of yours?" she questioned.

"Oh, I don't know," he said, "I guess I liked 1984, and this one is supposed to be good too."

"I'll have to add it to my reading list," she said, "I already got 1984 in a Japanese version from the library.

"Really?" Caine was surprised that she'd go to such lengths. But then again, Kyoya had told him the girls sometimes became devoted to their hosts, and this wasn't as much as that. And maybe she had just been looking for something new to read and it was coincidence, he mused.

But the other girls were becoming jealous of Tanaka and wanted his attention back.

"Why didn't you choose to be a cowboy instead of an Indian?" asked Kuruna, "I think it would make more sense with your skin tone."

"Oh, actually, the Hitachiin brothers gave me the Indian costume," he answered, "I didn't have much choice in the matter."

"I think you look cute as an Indian," defended Ayatome. Instinctively, he blushed. People didn't usually call him cute, so he was unaccustomed to hearing it.

He got a reaction right away as the girls squealed to see his face redden.

"I love how shy he is," said one of them he didn't know yet.

"It's adorable," said another.

"I wish I could have put the Indian face paint on your face," said a third. Caine turned towards her, his eyes widening in surprise at her boldness. She wasn't one he had seen before.

"I'm Honome Hisae," she introduced herself. She reached up and touched one of the lines on his face, and he blushed a little redder and pulled away slightly.

She looked a little disappointed, but consoled herself, "you're shy, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replied quietly, hanging his head.

"There's nothing wrong with that," she said, raising his chin with her finger.

"Um.." Caine managed, anxiety rising, but luckily Hayakuza came to his rescue, changing the subject.

"What are you going to read after you finish Animal Farm?" she asked.

"Oh, Hayakuza-san," he said, turning towards her and giving her a half smile in reward for saving him from Honome, "I'm not sure yet." Then, in a move he was sure would have made Tamaki proud, he added, "maybe you could give me a recommendation?"

The girls tittered, and Honome moved back out of ascendance.

"I don't know," Hayakuza said, blushing, "Have you read…" She gave him a title.

It was one Caine hadn't read, a Japanese book. "No," he replied, genuinely interested, and set down Animal Farm, "what's it about?"

But before she could answer, the Hitachiin brothers came up to them.

"Come join the savage Indian tribe!" exclaimed Kaoru, baring his teeth.

"Hikaru-kun, Kaoru-kun," the girls complained, unified by the outsiders, "don't steal Caine away from us." The twins ignored them and took his wrists, pulling him to my feet. They pulled him out from behind the girls and started rushing around him, spinning him around. After a few minutes, his vision started to blur…

For the entire week Kyoya had been keeping watch over Caine as he hosted, wanting to see how it was working out for him. He had said it was easier than he had thought it would be the first day, but after how his father and sister had laughed at the idea of him flirting, he was cautious. He felt responsible for, almost protective of, Caine. He did seemed to be settling into it well, but he still felt himself watching the boy. Why was he anxious?

Today, he had acquiesced to Tamaki's request to do dress-up in the style of cowboys and Indians. He had made sure to make the twins give Caine a shirt, sensing he might not prefer to be so exposed, but when he saw him with his arms crossed across his chest, looking slightly uncomfortable in the Indian costume, he had felt something. He had pushed it away, but it troubled him, and he still wasn't sure what it was. Tamaki had said he looked cute, and it was true… he abruptly abandoned that line of thinking as he saw, out of the corner of his eye, the twins pull Caine to his feet. They started spinning him around, and, suddenly, he started to look faint-headed.

Kyoya was on his feet before he knew it, his guests forgotten. Caine started to slump as the twins let go of his hands, and time seemed to slow as Kyoya rushed to catch his friend before he fell to the floor.

He caught him just before his back hit the floor, making sure his head wouldn't be harmed. He checked Caine carefully, seeing he was unconscious and worrying if he was okay. He had been so frightened when he had started to fall, but he rationalized the feeling away, telling himself Caine could have hurt himself severely if his head had hit the floor too hard. It was only natural to be concerned about a friend.

"Aw, it's an Indian and cowboy romance," said someone who must have been one of Caine's guests.

He looked down, his cheeks reddening slightly, and suddenly realized Caine's silver-haired head was lying in his lap. For a second, his instincts warred in him: he didn't want to leave Caine lying there unconscious, but he was uncomfortable because of what the girl had said. Abruptly he shook his head slightly to clear it. Why would he care about some random girl's thoughtless remark? He couldn't leave a friend lying there. At this point, the twins had fallen to their knees beside him and the other hosts had noticed the commotion and had come over to see whether Caine was okay.

Gradually, Caine started to regain consciousness.

"Kyoya-kun?" he said, his face more open and innocent than Kyoya had ever seen it.

He felt a twinge somewhere in his chest as he said, letting his concern creep into his voice, "Caine? Are you alright?"

"What… what happened? Hikaru and Kaoru were there, and I started feeling dizzy, and..."

"The twins were spinning you around and you fell," explained Kyoya gently. He wondered, briefly, if what he was feeling was the kind of concern Mori felt for Honey.

"Oh," said Caine simply.

"Caine-san, are you alright?" The twins said in unison.

"We were spinning you…" started Hikaru.

"And you started to go pale and collapsed," finished his brother.

"We'll take you to the nurse," said Tamaki magnanimously, taking charge of the situation. Mori bent down and scooped Caine up and the hosts all walked with him to the school nurse. Kyoya, walking next to Mori, took out his cell phone and called one of his family's army of private doctors, feeling it was the least he could do for a friend. Everything had vanished in the hosts concern for Caine's well-being.

When they reached the nurse's office, Mori set Caine down in one of the beds. A doctor in the Otori family's employ rapidly came up to him, taking out medical instruments and using them to check his health.

"Really, I feel better now," he insisted, "you don't need to do this."

"Have something to eat!" said Honey, who had somehow managed to hold onto a piece of cake despite the hubbub.

"Drink," added Mori in his characteristic monotone, giving Caine a glass of water he had someone obtained. Wordlessly, Caine obeyed, and some of the color returned to his face. He still looked slightly ill, but was certainly better. As he ate and drank the doctor finished his examination.

"It seems like your body is over-exhausted," he explained, "have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

"I don't know," Caine replied, "I guess I have been staying up later than usual, what with the host club, my schoolwork, and my family duties."

It wouldn't have been clear to the other hosts, but Kyoya saw it in a flash. _So this was what he meant when he said of his father,_ I'll see him at home! Host club was forcing him to spend time away from his father, and he was making it up by staying up late at night!

His understanding must have shown in his face, because Caine added, "I'm sure I'll be able to get more sleep soon."

 _Of course_ , he thought, _his father would soon abandon him again, and host club would no longer be such an impediment to him_. He wondered that Caine would even come to host club, since it caused him such problems. Why had he forced him into it? It certainly didn't come natural to him to flirt aimlessly with girls, as his father and sister had said. And with his social status, he didn't really need to cultivate business relationships with the girls. Why was he doing this to him?

Caine, however, seemed to see his anguish, saying, "don't worry about me, Kyoya-kun. I'm just fine with how things are right now."

He looked over at Caine and, to his surprise, the silver-haired boy was smiling at him. Not his typical half-smile, either, it was a full one, and it made the dark-haired boy's heart leap with something he couldn't recognize. He realized, as Caine did it, that he had a few crumbs of cake on him cheek, and, without thinking, he reached out and wiped them off with his thumb.

He would be glad, later, that this was the moment the host club girls reached the room and entered to check up on their absent hosts, because their presence kept Caine from seeing his Tamaki-esque blush. And although he didn't know it, it would also conceal Caine's blush from him.


	18. The Monday After

A/N: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Thank you for continuing to read this far, and I hope you like chapter eighteen.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Eighteen: The Monday After

Kyoya could see a difference in Caine the moment he came into class the following Monday. Before he could approach the boy, Tamaki, who had finally realized that they were in the same class, went up to him, his concern showing on his face. Kyoya knew that Tamaki, who was truly a genuinely caring person underneath his seeming shallowness, was making sure Caine, who he hadn't seen since his collapse the previous Friday, was okay.

As he joined them, Tamaki was saying, "so you made sure to get more sleep this weekend?"

"Yes," Caine replied, and he looked better rested. It must mean, Kyoya thought, that his father had left once more on one of his innumerable business trips.

"And it didn't have anything to do with the Cowboys and Indians theme?" Tamaki pressed, no doubt worried Caine didn't like his wild costumes and themes.

"No, it was completely unrelated," Caine assured him, "actually, the dressing up was kind of fun." Tamaki glowed to hear it.

"I'll make sure to plan some more fun costume events soon," he exclaimed, his brain whirring as it departed from reality to go wherever he came up with his bizarre plans.

Noticing their third conversation partner, Caine turned to the glasses-clad boy.

"Good morning, Kyoya-kun," he greeted him, and Kyoya felt a renewal of the strange embarrassment he had felt the last time he had seen him. He pushed it down, returning his friend's greeting.

The teacher called them all to their seats, and they sat down to begin their lessons.

Caine arrived at host club later than Kyoya that afternoon, and instead of having his characteristic book in hand, he wore a necklace of big black headphones marked with the neon orange insignia of a cat. He glanced towards the other hosts, giving them a nod to acknowledge he was fine in light of the events of the last host club, and headed to his usual window, where he covered his ears with his headphones, sat down, and closed his eyes as he listened to his music. Honey, Mori, and the twins followed him, inquiring briefly about his health, but from what Kyoya saw, he seemed to reassure them as he had Tamaki. He wondered briefly about the headphones, then remembered Caine had mentioned listening to music as well as reading when they were discussing his host style. It would be interesting to see how this variation made a difference from his usual method.

Almost as soon as he thought it, the club opened for business and the girls began to stream in. Some of the girls he recognized as Caine's steady customers headed over to him.

Meanwhile, Caine was lost in thought as he listened to his music. That morning he had arrived at school slightly more rested, his father having departed for Kyoto late previous night. He had decided, based on his lack of sleep, to listen to music at host club instead of reading a book, and, accordingly, had brought his headphones in. The other hosts had been kind in response to his ill health, Tamaki and Kyoya approaching him as soon as he got to class that morning, Honey, Mori and the twins checking in with him when he arrived at the host club. Haruhi had not yet arrived, but he had no doubt she would react no differently that the rest. The reaction he was most curious to see, however, was that of his customers, and as they approached, he wondered what they would do. Caine removed one headphone and turned down his music slightly in order to participate in conversation with them.

They look universally concerned, but relieved that he appeared better than he had. Hayakuza was holding something in a bag before her, and, she took it out and offered it to him, saying,

"I made a get-well cake for you, Caine-senpai."

"How thoughtful of you, Hayakuza-san," he responded, "I'm sure I'll enjoy it."

The other girls gave her an envious look, wishing they had thought to do something as thoughtful. Caine took it, but to mediate some of the jealousy, he divided it among the girls, only keeping a slightly larger piece for himself to thank Hayakuza for her generosity. A few of the others gave him get well cards as he passed them pieces of cake, and he made sure to thank them individually for their concern.

"I see you're not reading a book today, Caine-san," said Honome, who Caine hadn't noticed approach. She looked a little smug, and he suspected it was she who he had vaguely heard make some remark casting he and Kyoya as a cowboy-Indian romance when, at the previous Host Club, his friend caught him as he fell.

"No," he replied, "I decided to listen to music today, instead."

"Really?" asked one of girls. She had been there before, but she had mostly hung back before now, and Caine didn't know her name. "What are you listening to?" She looked interested, beyond interest in him to actual interest in his music.

"Sorry, your name was…?"

"Tsukamari Chizuru," she answered.

"That's an interesting name," Caine commented, and proceeded to tell the girl the name of the song he was listening to.

"Oh, I know that song," Tsukamari replied enthusiastically, and proceeded to sing, almost under her breath, the lyrics of the chorus. "I guess you're a fan of that artist, then, huh?"

"Yes, EDM's my favorite genre," Caine replied, happy to get into a conversation that felt free of flirting.

"Cool!" she said, "mine too!"

"What's that logo on your headphones?" asked Kuruna, trying to insert herself into the conversation. She had reduced her boldness from their previous meetings, no doubt recognizing through the presence of Honome that Caine didn't really like it.

"The cat? It's just a sticker I picked up," Caine explained vaguely.

"I can't decide if it looks weird or cute," added Ayatome, tilting her head to think while looking at it.

"Probably both," commented Kuruna, mimicking her pose.

"So, did any of you do anything interesting over the weekend?" Caine asked.

"Well, I read 1984," piped up Tanaka. Caine was impressed. Even though she was reading it in her native language instead of a foreign one, the book was no easy read.

"And what did you think?"

"The part about how they changed all the information to reflect reality instead of admitting their mistakes was interesting," she said, her shy face thoughtful, "but I really didn't like the part about the rats."

"Oh?"

"I'm afraid of rats," she volunteered meekly. Several of the other girls shuddered, echoing her sentiment.

For the rest of the club time, they talked about several of the other girls' weekends. Kuruna and Ayatome, who Caine had correctly guessed were best friends outside of host club, had gone on a trip to the countryside, and the ever-insistent Honome had gone shopping.

As the girls left, Haruhi, who had come in late and thus hadn't been able to speak to Caine before host club, came over and inquired after his health.

"Hayakuza (she's one of my regulars) baked me a get-well cake," he said, humored, and held up the empty pan as proof, "it was adorable."

Haruhi looked relieved. "And you're alright from Friday?" she says, "you definitely look better."

"Yes, thank you," the silver-haired boy replied, "everyone in host club has been so nice about this. You all came over and asked me how I was, even though I assured you on Friday that it was nothing and I was feeling fine."

"Well, you scared us by collapsing like that," she explained, "we were just concerned for your welfare."

"I guess," Caine replied, "I suppose I haven't had a lot of friends in the past, so your concern isn't something I'm used to."

Haruhi smiled, "Well, you'll have to get used to it, since it's something that will certainly continue," she said before walking away to get changed.

Caine put his headphones back over his ears and turned the music back up. It had changed to another electronic song, one of his favorites. He closed his eyes to listen.

After a few moments, he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he looked up, Kyoya was standing over him. He paused his music and pulled off his headphones.

"Kyoya-kun?"

"What are you listening too, Caine?" the black-haired boy asked.

"EDM," Caine responded, instantly adding, "do you want to listen too?"

Kyoya looked surprised by his friend's question. "Okay." He sat down beside the boy, and Caine pulled a pair of earbuds from his pocket.

"You had another pair of headphones?" Kyoya asked, surprised that he would have two pairs on hand.

"I always have another pair in case mine break," Caine explained. Kyoya nodded, understanding his explanation. Caine put the left earbud in his ear and handed him the right to do the same, plugging the headphones into his phone jack. Relaxed again, he closed his eyes and slumped back against the seat, throwing his arms out to his sides and letting them lie on top of the seat-back.

As Haruhi headed for the dressing room to pick up her school bag, she saw Kyoya walking over to Caine; no doubt he, too, was checking up on him after his fall. She had noticed Kyoya seemed to be the one who was most concerned about Caine, but it made sense since he had known him before host club and was the one who had brought him into it. She paused as she got to her bag and picked it up, thinking about a few bits of homework she had to do. When she turned, she saw Kyoya and Caine sitting side by side, listening to Caine's music. Caine had the headphones he had been wearing during the club around his neck, but had seemingly pulled out another pair which were earbuds so he could share his music with Kyoya. At first, the two friends looked like a study in contrasts: Kyoya was sitting straight up, orderly in this as he was in all things, while Caine was slumped back against the seat, his arms outstretched, his body completely relaxed. When she looked closer, however, she could see the similarity: both wore on their face the same eyes-closed, music-listening calm. Tamaki, who had come up beside her, saw it too, saying, "don't you think they look like brothers?"

"What do you mean, Tama-chan?" asked Honey, confused, "they're sitting in completely different ways."

"Their faces," said Mori, simply.

"Oh," said Honey in wonder, seeing it through his protector's eyes. "I guess Caine-chan and Kyo-chan really are good friends," he added absently. Haruhi smiled at hearing him think aloud the same thing she had been thinking to herself.

But they didn't have much time to think about it, because Tamaki, with his usual ADHD, had moved on to another matter.

"I have an announcement to make," he exclaimed loudly. Across the room, Caine and Kyoya opened their eyes and Caine sat up, pausing their music. They each removed their headphones, separately but simultaneously.

"Next week, the host club with have a ball!" he added, pausing dramatically for effect. For a moment, no one reacted, but then, to appease Tamaki, they all did at once.

"We'll have to plan everyone's costumes," said the Hitachiins in unison.

"You know formal dancing, I presume?" Kyoya asked Caine, who nodded in reply.

"A ball! How fun!" Honey was exclaiming, prodding Mori, who was characteristically silent, to spin him around. The tall man obediently obliged.

"And it will be in traditional Japanese dress!" added Tamaki, clearly seeing this as the cherry on the cake. Everyone stilled at this unforeseen addition.

"Will the dancing be Japanese-style, too?" asked Caine, confused.

"No," answered Kyoya, who knew already what Tamaki's answer would be.

"Will there be fancy tuna?" asked Haruhi, who had a one-track mind when it came to events like this. Caine, who hadn't know that before, looked confused, and Kyoya explained it was a favorite of hers.

"Of course!" said Tamaki in grandiose style. Haruhi smiled, and he beamed back, clearly having incited the response he desired. "Daddy would never forget such a thing!"

"Why's he calling himself Daddy?" asked Caine dubiously.

"It's just something he does," said Hikaru blandly.

"He's a weirdo," added Kaoru in the same tone. Tamaki, labelled as a weirdo, fell into a funk. This time, Caine didn't rush to his side, showing his agreement that Tamaki was weird. Then Tamaki, who had not actually made any preparations for the ball, said meekly to Kyoya on aside, "Mommy, add fancy tuna to the list."

Caine looked even more mystified by this remark.

"I actually do all the planning for the club, as you no doubt already guessed," explained Kyoya.

"Even though Tamaki-senpai is the club's king, Kyoya-senpai is the shadow king," added Haruhi, "and since Tamaki-senpai, for some reason, sees himself as my father," and here she rolled her eyes, "that makes Kyoya-senpai the mother."

Caine gave Tamaki a look (which the blond boy did not notice) that said he didn't like this, but didn't comment further. He pulled his headphones back over his ears and turned to leave the club.

Just as he was leaving, he added, without turning his head, "Mira will be back tomorrow, by the way." This turned all heads towards him. Tamaki got up, his funk forgotten in an instant.

Caine left, the door swinging behind him as he walked out, while all the hosts thought excitedly about seeing Mira and Caine interact in a host club setting.


	19. Twins

A/N: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club, thank you for reading and please enjoy chapter nineteen.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Nineteen: Twins

Everyone was on edge at host club the next day, the day when they would first get to see Mira and Caine interact. Those who knew the two were twins were looking forward to comparing them, while those who thought they were childhood friends were ready to watch them interact. Caine, too, was nervous to see how Mira's presence affected him and what his sister would do.

When the girls came in, they noticed Caine was distracted. His eyes were locked on the door and he answered their questions distantly.

"Are you waiting for someone?" asked Ayatome, finally asking the question on everyone's mind.

As if to answer her question, the door swung open and a silver-haired, silver-blue-eyed vision entered. Mira was beautiful on an average day, and she had put extra effort into her appearance today in recognition of it being the twins' first day in host club together. Caine's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched his sister pass Tamaki, who was attempting to make some comment about being speechless with her beauty ( _although if he was really speechless he couldn't make a comment_ , Caine thought dryly) and stride right up to him.

"So you're the new host," said Mira, giving him a sneaky smile of recognition, "I heard rumors, but I didn't think it would really be you, Caine."

The two of them heard gasps surrounding them, but neither turned from the other.

"Mira," said Caine, rising gracefully and bowing.

"Isn't that Yabatsukuni Mira-sama?" Kuruna murmured.

"They know each other?" Ayatome added in a whisper.

"Wow," breathed Hayakuza and Tanaka in unison.

Across the room, the hosts were reacting similarly.

"I wonder if that's what Caine-chan would look like if he dressed as a girl," Honey said aside to Mori, too quietly for the girls to hear.

"Mhm," wondered Mori equally.

Kyoya, too, wondered if Caine would look like his twin if he dressed as a girl, but he dismissed the idea. Although the two were identical twins, Caine had shorter hair and sharper features than his twin. Besides, given Caine was a boy, he'd probably look uncomfortable in girls clothes, instead of looking at ease in them as Mira did.

"I just wanted to see if it was really you," Mira was saying, "but I already have a host." She gave Caine a sideways look, "I'll see _you_ later." She returned to Tamaki, whose eyes had tracked the entire thing and who looked all too pleased with this turn of events.

The moment Mira sat down with Tamaki Caine's customers exploded with questions.

"Do you really know _the_ Yabatsukuni Mira?"

"How did you meet her?"

"You two must be pretty close to call her by her first name."

"Isn't she so pretty? And so famous!"

"Tell us everything!" Honome finally ordered, cutting through the voices of the others. She was clearly annoyed by how Mira had taken up Caine's attention even before she arrived.

"We're childhood friends," said Caine, keeping it short, "that's all there is to know." He would be getting into dangerous territory here, he knew. He had to explain how he and Mira could know each other without creating suspicion around his identity. Luckily, no one knew the Yabatsukuni family's history and associations better than a member of it. He could weave something plausible if the situation demanded it.

Fortunately, it did not.

"So you grew up together?" asked Ayatome, "tell us what she was like as a child! I bet she was so cool!"

"Yeah!" echoed Kuruna.

Caine cocked his head and smiled at the memories. He and his sister were close, but they had been even closer before the incident in Kyoto, before the tension had grown too high within him. They had played like the children they were, freed from the life of poverty they would have had with their mother to the world of unimaginable wealth their uncle offered.

"You know she's American-born too, right?" he said, "Yabatsukuni-sama and my mother thought we might be able to bond over that, since neither of us was very good at Japanese when we first met."

"I guess having a common language in a world full of people you couldn't understand would be really comforting for a child," commented Tsukamari.

"You might think, since she was always the pretty one, the rich one, the famous one, that I might have grown up resenting her, but she was always careful to include me so that wouldn't happen," she added. It was mostly true. Mira, with her charm and social graces, had always been the favorite twin, but she had always been kind to her brother, so Caine had never disliked being less noticed.

"She's amazing, isn't she," aahed Kuruna, "being as important as she is, she doesn't have to be nice to people, but they say she notices even people who aren't of the same rank." She quickly added, "no offense, senpai." Caine gave her a nod to show it was forgotten.

"Doesn't she have a brother who no one ever sees?" voiced Tanaka hesitantly.

"Yeah, I've heard that too," Kuruna picks up on her comment, "hey, do you know him, too?"

Caine's face grew graver unconsciously. He didn't want to hear or speak of himself in third person like this. Especially given the rumors they'd spread about him to allow him to live anonymously at school had put out that he was antisocial and withdrawn, an invisible boy who hardly ever left the house.

"She probably wouldn't want me to talk about him," he said, his voice darkening.

"He's _that_ reclusive?" said Honome, managing to sound simultaneously amazed and critical. Of course, she was probably surprised anyone would want privacy considering her mixture of boldness and conceit.

"He prefers to remain in his sister's shadow," Caine responded tactfully.

"I guess it's pretty easy to hide behind a personality as big as Yabatsukuni has," Honome rejoined, a tad more respectfully. Caine gave her a small scowl, which the girl seemed not to notice, not liking to hear both he and his sister insulted in the same phrase. It was passive, though, and he had vowed not to be moved by any insult anymore, so he let it go.

Near the end of the club, as the girls were reluctantly getting ready to leave, Tamaki stood to give his announcement.

"I'm excited to announce the host club is giving a ball next week!" he shouted, not needing to say he was excited with how much he was showing it. "We expect to see you all there in your finest traditional Japanese attire!" The girls oohed and aahed with excitement, chattering to each other about the prospect of dancing with their favorite hosts. Carrying this anticipation with them, they gradually left host club, discussing what they would wear, competing to outdo each other.

After the girls had left, Kyoya approached his silver-haired friend, wondering how he had managed the excitement his sister's presence would have created in his guests.

"So, how did it go with them?" the glasses-clad boy asked his friend. Caine looked tired, no doubt from fielding questions about Mira and constructing a plausible lie as to their relationship.

"About as badly as I thought it would," he replied, fatigue evident in his voice, "but at least I diverted them to press me for details about Mira as a child instead of how we met," he added sarcastically, "I couldn't very well tell them we met when were born as twins."

He closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed slowly, letting out his annoyance and tension. When he opened them again, he wore his characteristic half-smile.

"Actually, I expected Mira to do more, but I didn't seem to have to worry about her," he said.

"We'll see the full extent of _that_ when Tamaki comes over," Kyoya reminded him. And he had spoken not a moment too soon, for the blonde-haired host was fast approaching. As he got closer, Kyoya and Caine could see a scowl on his handsome features.

"She said you were childhood friends but wouldn't explain it further!" he sulked. No doubt he had pressed her unceasingly for the juicy details of their connection. Caine was glad Mira had stood by her word and kept the secret.

"But," added Tamaki, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face, "she said you were an awkward little kid."

Caine rolled his eyes and scowled, "everyone was awkward as a kid."

Tamaki swelled with a mix of indignation and pride, boasting, "not me! I was as princely as you see me today!"

Kyoya gave Caine a look that said, _ironically, that could be the truth_. He shrugged, enjoying their private joke.

"I guess I believe you now about not being in love with her," the excitable host continued more gloomily, "I just didn't feel that vibe, even though she is pretty, and I can understand she might almost feel like a sister to you if you've known her that long."

Caine laughed to himself at hearing that Mira, his real sister, might _almost feel like a sister_ to him. It would be hilarious when Tamaki found out their true connection and tracked back over everything he had said about them. With a start, he realized that he had become resigned to the idea of Tamaki finding out who he really was. Was that something he was really okay with? He was starting to feel that that might actually be the case.

In any case, it was much more entertaining to watch Tamaki be oblivious about the truth.


	20. Flirting with Girls, Caine?

A/N: So, I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Thanks for sticking with the story–I realize it's getting pretty long, and there's quite a bit left. That said, I hope you enjoy chapter twenty.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twenty: Flirting With Girls, Caine?

When Caine arrived home, his sister was standing in the front hall waiting for him. She waited just long enough for Caine to take off his shoes, then advanced on him.

"Host club!" was at first all she could say, her face a mask of predatory glee.

Her brother passed by her and placed his bag on the hall bench.

"Yes?" he said, baiting his sister with a half-smile.

"You have fans!" exploded Mira, pointing her finger at Caine in a manner oddly reminiscent of the host club's king, "like, many!"

"You doubted me, didn't you?"

"Well, could you blame me?" Mira replied defensively, "it didn't exactly seem like something in your character! And I know more than anyone (except maybe To-san) how careful you are about your character!"

Her brother expanded his half-smile into a cunning smirk.

"Really, when you look like that it's amazing how no one notices we're related," said Mira dryly.

The smile fell from Caine's face and he widened his eyes slightly.

"Honestly, I didn't expect it to go so well, either," he admitted.

"I _knew_ it!" Mira fired back, "I knew you had doubts too!"

"So, _Ryoka_ ," she continued, her face transforming into the same cunning smirk Caine had worn a few moments earlier, "what was your real reason for joining host club?"

Caine looked taken aback, "what do you mean, my real reason for joining host club?"

"What, you really just decided out of the blue to join a club that does nothing but flirt with girls?" Mira said, her voice heavy with disbelief. "That doesn't really fit with the reserved, anonymity-seeking, and what's more, _gay_ , brother I know."

"It's your fault, you know," answered Caine, "you were the one who made me come to host club to get you when To-san came home this time."

Mira shook her head in surprise, "What?" She had not anticipated this response.

"That's how the host club found out about me," Caine explained, "they saw me come pick you up, and decided they wanted me with them."

"You _are_ good-looking, since you're my twin," Mira agreed somewhat conceitedly.

"And I already knew Kyoya-kun," Caine added, ignoring his twin's remark.

"What? How?" asked Mira obliviously.

"You do realize he's the head of our class and I'm the second, right? We sit next to each other." Caine narrowed her eyes at his sister's ignorance.  
"Oh, of course. I never noticed."

"You're in the same class as us! You see us every day!"

"Well, yes, but…" Mira didn't have a good answer for Caine's remark. She changed the topic accordingly, "do you _like_ him?"

Caine rolled his eyes, "is that all you think about? He's just my friend, for god's sake." He hoped his voice was level, instead of trembling like his heart was. His sister had hit too close to the mark once again; her predictive abilities never failed to surprise him.

"Right, of course, you never like anyone," rejoined Mira sarcastically, "how could I forget? But does _he_ like _you_?"

Caine rolled his eyes again, "come on, Mira. Get over it."

"Fine," Mira huffed, then smiled wickedly, "but I think it would be entertaining if he did."

"Whatever."

"I'll make you dance together at the ball next week," Mira plotted, "then we'll see."

"I don't think the hosts are supposed to dance with each other, but whatever you say," said Caine in a low voice. He knew better than to voice his opposition to his sister's plans. Knowledge of his apprehension could only add fuel to her fires.

"Yes, then we'll see," muttered Mira, no doubt spinning scenarios in her head.


	21. Be Our Guest

A/N: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. Thank you for continuing to read and please enjoy. Also, if you like the story, I hope you'll consider reviewing it to let me know what you think. Alright, off we go with chapter twenty-one!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twenty-One: Be Our Guest

The day of the ball finally arrived, and it was all the girls (and many of the boys) at Ouran High School could talk about. What they would be wearing, who they'd be going with, which one of the hosts they were hoping to dance with. Kyoya and Caine sat silently together in class; both had been up late finishing homework in advance so they wouldn't have any to do that night and practicing their dance steps in preparation for the ball. Caine, too, had been worrying that Mira had not stopped her plan to force the two of them to dance together. There was no chance that it wouldn't be awkward, and if he knew Tamaki, he knew Mira would try to give him the wrong idea. He sighed, resigning himself to his sister and Tamaki's eccentricity. He had realized lately that they were strangely similar, although Mira had better control over her emotions. Strangely, Caine realized he was actually somewhat excited for the ball. The twins were providing kimonos, so they were certain to be stunning, and besides, he actually enjoyed dancing. Why worry about what might happen? He could enjoy himself either way.

Everyone was resplendent in their finest kimonos that night. The Hitachiins' family had put up a special effort and created a set of special hand-made kimonos for the ball. The twins were eye-catching in royal purple seashell-patterned kimonos, the pale peach under-kimonos revealed at their collarbones matching perfectly with their hair. Honey and Mori were paired, Honey reaching new heights of cuteness in pastel blue belted in dark blue, his haori a pale yellow embroidered with thousand of tiny sky blue flowers, while Mori was elegant in dark blue with a similarly faint yellow belt and under-kimono which peeked out at his neck. Tamaki was especially resplendent in an ocean-colored kimono with a haori as pale as sand. As for Kyoya himself, he wore a less showy kimono of deep forest green covered over by a haori the color of the ash of a still-smoldering fire.

The hosts stood at the top of a double-entry stairwell waiting for Caine and Haruhi to finish putting on their kimonos.

Finally, Haruhi came in in her kimono. It was burgundy, delicately adorned by a pale blue haori. She crossed the ballroom to the whispered appreciation of the crowd and joined the other hosts, standing beside Tamaki, who seemed to be dying as a result of what he saw as her overwhelming cuteness.

Caine emerged last. His kimono was a deep blue-green, belted in the same shining silver as his hair, and the black haori he had slung over his shoulders bore a traditional Japanese-style vertical landscape of a mountain, trees, and the ocean embroidered in white on the back.

Across the ballroom, in a flash, Kyoya forgot everything he knew. He forgot about the other hosts and all their guests. He forgot what Tamaki and the twins would say. He forgot that Caine was supposed to be just a friend. He even forgot to breathe.

"Senpai, are you okay?" asked Haruhi, who had moved from beside Tamaki to come up behind Kyoya on his left. He had gone white, all the blood drained from his face, and he seemed to be holding his breath. He appeared to be on the verge of collapsing, gripping the railing tightly just to remain standing. The light was shining off his glasses, making them opaque, so she couldn't see what he was looking at to make him react this dramatically. She had never seen him so shocked. However, there was certainly no shortage of astounding things on display tonight, and any number of them could be affecting him. The ballroom was more finely decorated than she had ever seen it, and all their guests were in exceedingly fashionable kimonos. Haruhi herself was in awe of the sheer opulence of it all.

"Senpai?" she repeated, gradually becoming genuinely worried about him.

He turned jerkily to look at her, and, as the light angle changed, she saw his eyes beneath his glasses. They were strangely glazed and distracted, a look she had never seen in him before. He seemed dazed and looked dizzy. He blinked several times and color gradually returned to his face as he loosened his grip on the railing. Finally, he looked at Haruhi as if he hadn't known she was there and said, uncharacteristically,

"What?"

"I was wondering if you were ok. You looked almost . . ." she wondered how to put it, "ill."

He shook his head as if to clear it. "Truthfully, I think I might be," he replied absentmindedly.

"Will you be able to dance?" she asked, worrying about the event, "I can let Tamaki-senpai know if you feel you should go home."

Still seemingly distracted, he turned with her to look at Tamaki, who was shining in the spotlight, preparing to formally open the ball. Finally, he seemed to come back to himself as he looked at Tamaki, the small smile he thought no one noticed creeping onto his face as he saw his close friend in his element.

"No," he said, after they watched Tamaki together for a moment, "I'm fine. And besides, I don't think I should leave Tamaki alone here." Haruhi heard him silently add, _he needs me_.

"Well, alright," she said nervously, "if you feel fine." She thought he was probably sicker than he let on, but it wasn't out of character for Kyoya to put his own needs to the side for Tamaki. And he had shown himself resilient so far in their acquaintance.

Caine came up the stairs to join with the rest of the hosts and stood with Mori and Honey, on the opposite side of the group from Kyoya.

Tamaki saw the cue which was Caine's arrival and proudly declared, "The host club now declares this ball open! Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest!" He and his fellow hosts went down the stairs and began dancing with the guests, and for a moment or two, Kyoya forgot the strange paralyzing moment he had experienced upon seeing Caine in his kimono.

Caine danced first with Tanaka, who, despite clearly being too shy for this kind of event, managed to get her feet to obey her long enough to get the dance steps out. Tanaka's heart nearly exploded and she sagged against a pillar when Caine told her, at the end of the dance, that she danced exceedingly well and she shouldn't be so nervous about it. He managed to dance with Tsukamari, too, before Kuruna and Ayatome caught up with him and cajoled him into dancing with them. Tsukamari was a less-than-traditional dancer, and she and Caine laughed together about wanting to dance less formally. Across the ballroom, dancing with one of his customers, Kyoya felt his heart clench unexpectedly at hearing his silver-haired friend's laugh, but he focused on the girl before him to dispel it, complimenting her on her fine attire.

It was as Caine was dancing with Hayakuza after being freed from Kuruna and Ayatome that Mira entered the ballroom. She wore a midnight blue kimono decorated heavily with cherry blossoms with a similarly light pink obi. Caine, well practiced in dancing, managed not to trip as he saw his sister, but internally, his heart skipped a step. He had almost forgotten Mira's promise to force him and Kyoya to dance together. Would she really go through with it?

The song ended and Mira approached Caine. "A dance, my brother?" she muttered quietly enough Caine was the only one to hear it. Caine graciously extended his hand and everyone in the ballroom paused to watch the twins dance together.

Through their childhood, Caine and Mira had danced together so many times their shared rhythm had become an art. Just as Caine knew every step Mira would take by heart, Mira knew her twin's every move in the dance. The combined effect of two who knew each other so well dancing together was spellbinding. Mira and Caine whirled around the floor, neither missing a step, their eyes locked as they forgot everything else in their shared dance. Each step, each turn, was an endlessly practiced one. Those who had not stopped before stopped now, and there was stillness in the ballroom with the exception of the twins. The hosts and guests alike were entranced, watching Mira and Caine as if they could watch them forever.

Too soon for everyone, the music ended. Caine bowed to his sister, thanking her for the dance, and the spell was broken. They separated, Mira heading for Tamaki and Caine heading for the food table to get something to wet his dry throat. He was tired from all the dancing, as he hadn't been to a formal ball in an exceedingly long time.

Mira smiled at Tamaki and he offered her the next dance.

"You dance exceedingly gracefully, princess," Tamaki praised as they spun.

"It was only the result of practice," Mira demurred, "Caine and I have danced together many times before."

"I suppose you would have, being childhood friends," Tamaki remarked, forcing himself not to impolitely press her for details.

"You dance terribly well yourself, senpai," Mira returned his compliment.

"Being able to dance well in any circumstance is the mark of a true host," Tamaki boasted modestly.

"Have any of the hosts ever danced with each other before?" Mira asked, trying not to sound like she was plotting something.

Tamaki, oblivious as usual, noticed nothing out of the ordinary in her question, "Hmm," he wondered, "I suppose Honey and Mori dance together, if you can call _that_ dancing." He gestured over to where one of Honey's customers was swinging the boy around in circles. "And I imagine the twins must have danced together at some point, considering how close they are." He suddenly realized the implications of what Mira had said and how they might allow him his desired dance with Haruhi. "Are you suggesting we have a hosts-only dance?" He said slyly.

"I am," she replied, equally as slyly.

While another host might have asked what was in it for her, Tamaki was lost in imagining dancing with his beloved Haruhi. Of course, in his vision, Haruhi was dressed as a girl, and he was sweeping her off her feet.

"That sounds like an excellent idea!"

When the song came to an end Tamaki strode up the stairs to make his sudden announcement.

"Now, for your viewing pleasure, we will present a hosts-only dance!" The twins, Honey, and Mori were unfazed by this announcement, but Kyoya, Caine and Haruhi turned in surprise, suddenly worrying about the pairings.

Caine realized with a start that this was Mira's plan. Of course it would be this easy. Tamaki was easily flattered, and if she'd complimented his dancing and suggested she wanted to see the hosts dance together, he would have played along.

The crowd was already drawing back to give the hosts the floor, and Tamaki was descending from the stairs. Honey ran over to Mori, calling, "Takashi!" to which the taller host smiled in reply and picked him up, readying to spin him. The Hitachiin twins took each others hands, ready to present some of their brotherly love angle to their viewers, and Tamaki blazed a path towards a clearly reluctant Haruhi. Caine turned and found Kyoya standing relatively close.

"I guess we'll be dancing together, Kyoya-kun," he said, bearing up with good humor. His friend's glasses were opaque again, reflecting the light, so he couldn't see the look in his eyes. The other boy moved no closer to him, however, and he guessed his friend was annoyed by Tamaki's spontaneous wild plans. He strode towards him, suddenly realizing he was unnerved. Unbidden, Mira's words came back to her– _do you_ like _him? Does_ he _like_ you _?_ He blinked and tried to clear his head. _Why am I thinking about this_? He wondered. _I brushed Mira off easily enough that day. Surely I don't really care_. Anxiously, he realized he wasn't sure. What was happening to him?

When Kyoya and Caine joined hands reluctantly for the dance, neither noticed the shaking of the others hands, assuming it was from the shaking of their own hands. Then the music started and their feet began to move independently of their heads. Both thought to themselves, _I'm glad I've done this enough times for it to be muscle memory_. Their eyes flicked in and out of contact as they attempted not to make eye contact with the other while not appearing to do so. Both were glad the music made it unnecessary to converse, as neither could think of anything to say.

From the outside, Mira watched with hawk-like eyes. She saw the subtle shaking of hands, the nervous flicking of eyes, and wondered if she had been too quick to tease Caine about Kyoya. Maybe there really _was_ something. But it had always seemed like Caine had a cool heart and would never love anyone. Simultaneously, she was both terrified and thrilled. She had always wanted to see Caine in love, but what would it do to the brother she knew had an emotionally fraught past? She had been the one to caution of Caine's previous difficulties when Caine had asked to join the host club, after all. Ultimately, though, she realized there was nothing she could do, only watch and be there for Caine if he asked it of her.

She shifted her eyes to Tamaki and Haruhi. Now there was an interesting couple. Caine had, under bond of shared secrecy, revealed Haruhi was a crossdresser, saying everyone in the club knew her true gender. It was clear enough to Mira that Tamaki was wildly in love with her, but she could also see the usually flamboyant host struggling to understand his feelings. She hoped he would be able to resolve himself–she knew from being his customer that he had a good heart and deserved to be happy in love.

Finally, far too slowly for Kyoya, Caine and Haruhi but far too quickly for Tamaki, the song was over. All those clasping hands pulled away, with the exception of Mori, who swung Honey around once more before setting him down. The other ball attendees cheered uproariously. Tamaki watched Haruhi's light blush as she headed for the fancy tuna and mentally spun it into his fantasies. Kyoya and Caine, side by side but miles apart, headed for the refreshments table too, desperately seeking something to cool their hot and dry throats. Not noticing the simultaneity of their actions, they each took a glass of chilled mineral water and walked out onto the balcony to cool their heads. Mira, taking pity on her brother, followed them out and walked up to Caine.

"I don't think Honey and Mori were really dancing," she said, trying to distract her twin, but Caine got straight to the point.

"Are you happy with yourself?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Kyoya, standing with his back to the twins, heard Caine and his eyes widened. Was he also affected by their shared dance?

"Come with me," he heard the female twin say, and, as they walked away into the darkness, she added, "I'm sorry." He wondered briefly what Mira had to be sorry for.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. He danced with several more of his customers, watching out of the corner of his eye as Caine returned with Mira and did the same. He felt stuck in a trance, and a few of his more insightful customers noticed it as well, saying he seemed distracted and asking if he was okay. He answered semi-truthfully that he had been feeling somewhat ill the entire evening, but that their presence was making him feel better. Each time he said it, he did feel somewhat better as he focused on something that was not his own thoughts. By the end of the ball, he had almost convinced himself he really was suffering a temporary bout of illness, that it would pass soon enough.


	22. Lovesick

A/N: So, yeah. No ownership of Ouran Highschool Host Club to be found here. Anyway, if you've made it this far, thank you for continuing to read and I hope you enjoy chapter twenty-two.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Lovesick

When Kyoya woke up the next morning, his stomach had found a new residence in his throat and he had a splitting headache that felt like someone had started to give him a lobotomy and decided to give up halfway through, leaving the knife impaled through his frontal lobe. He'd tossed and turned sleeplessly the entire night, and when he'd eventually fallen into a fitful doze out of utter exhaustion, the last thought on his mind had been, _I don't think I'll be able to make it to school tomorrow._ Waking up for school early every day was something that had always been hard for him; he was _aggressively_ a night owl and never felt like himself or up to much of anything for at least an hour after waking up, but this was different. He felt like he wouldn't be able to snap out of his horrible mood with coffee, and he knew whether or not he drank it his headache would only get worse. He thought briefly about getting up, but the thought only made him sink deeper into his bed.

Fuyumi, his sister, came into his room, surprised he hadn't yet emerged.

"Kyo-chan, don't you have to get up for school?" she asked. Kyoya responded by leaning over the side of his bed and throwing up.

To her credit, Fuyumi only looked shocked and said, "I'll call our doctor. You'd better stay home from school today."

Meanwhile, at school, Caine carried his fatigue heavily with him as he entered through the gilded pink gates. After leaving the ball with Mira the previous night, he had immersed himself in the book Hayakuza had recommended him in an attempt to forget the strange feelings he'd had and had ended up staying up most of the night. The reading had done as he'd intended it to, though, and he was confident he could face Kyoya that morning as if nothing had happened. As he entered class, however, he saw that his friend's desk was empty. It was strange, because he usually arrived earlier than Caine did, but perhaps he was similarly tired from the ball and running somewhat late.

But as the class began, Kyoya was nowhere to be found. As a result, Caine had difficulty focusing on the lesson, but he overrode the distraction and refocused, thinking he ought to take good notes to pass on to his friend.

At lunch, Tamaki came up to him, concern written large on his features. Caine could tell he had been itching to approach him earlier, but hadn't because of class.

"Did you notice Kyoya's gone?" he asked the silver-haired boy. Caine only rolled his eyes, mentally replying, _of course I noticed._

"He's never missed a day of school since I met him," Tamaki went on, blithely ignoring the reaction, "so he must be really sick."

 _Of course,_ thought Caine, _that was why he was so pale and seemed to be shaking yesterday. He was coming down with something._

But this cold, logical train of thinking was interrupted by a flash of the same heart-stopping paralysis he had felt the night before.

"I mean," said Tamaki, who was continuing his monologue and not noticing Caine's reaction, "he's come to school pretty sick before, so I guess this must be worse than that."

Caine stood up, cutting him off.

"I have to go," he said abruptly.

"Yeah, we should all go check on him after school lets out," Tamaki said, under-observing his concern.

Caine turned to him, his face a mask.

"I'm going _now_ ," he said, and strode off.

"Well, we'll… see you... there?" the blonde trailed off, not sure what to make of this.

Caine, his mind now set on a single track, strode purposefully out of the school and imperiously flagged down cab. He ordered it to take him home, his mind already zooming ahead to what he would make to take Kyoya to get him well. Cooking was how he'd always dealt with sickness–be it of the body or the soul.

When he arrived at home he blew past the staff and into the kitchen, ignoring their questions of why he was home early from school. When they saw him go into the kitchen, they scattered, knowing it was a place he was best left alone.

It took Caine about an hour to prepare everything he wanted to make, which meant school would be getting out and the rest of the host club making their way to Kyoya's house. He, too, headed there, his bag filled with containers of his best get-well food. As luck would have it, the rest of the host club arrived only a few moments after he did, all looking concerned with Tamaki leading the charge.

"Caine," said Haruhi, seeming somewhat surprised to see him. It made sense, since he hadn't been in the car with the rest of the hosts and Haruhi hadn't known that he had left school early. "What are you carrying?" She gestured to Caine's large bag.

"Get-well food," Caine said shortly, fighting not to sound irritated at his fellow host.

"Oh," replied Haruhi, and retreated somewhat, sensing his tension.

The two headed into Kyoya's house with the rest of the hosts.

"It's sad that Kyo-chan's sick," Honey was saying to Mori.

"Hm," his friend agreed.

A family servant led them to Kyoya's room, where they were met by his older sister Fuymi.

"How is Kyoya doing?" asked Tamaki, unusually subdued.

"He has a fever and complains of aches in his head and body," Fuyumi replied in a similarly quiet murmur, "and he hasn't been able to keep anything down. The chefs have tried, but everything just comes back up. I think he'll be glad to see some of his friends, though."

Tamaki nodded in reply.

The hosts entered Kyoya's bedroom in a quiet and respectful manner far from their usual entrance demeanor. At the other end of the room, Kyoya was dozing fitfully, tossing and turning instead of sleeping quietly. The hosts approached him, quiet and careful not to wake his uncertain sleep. He was pale, his dark hair made darker by the contrast and by the sweat that dampened it. Even as they neared him, he tossed again, his fever making him shiver as if chilled despite his high temperature. Caine's stomach gave a turn that resembled Kyoya's sickness at the sight of him so ill. Steeling himself, he opened his bag, readying its contents. As the smell of the warm broth reached Kyoya's nostrils, he slowly stilled and woke, his dark charcoal grey eyes blinking slowly as he opened them. Even as his eyes opened, they closed again, but he forced them to reopen with effort.

"Caine?" he croaked in a voice made hoarse by dehydration. His eyes flickered again. "Tamaki? Haruhi?"

Tamaki, clearly suppressing his enthusiasm to account for Kyoya's condition, said, "We came!"

Kyoya gave a faint smile and attempted to sit up slightly. Mori, understanding, reached out and pulled Kyoya forward by his shoulder, placing a pillow behind him so that he could lie back against it.

"We wanted to see if you were okay," said Honey, his typical excitement similarly subdued.

Kyoya tried to speak, but his throat was dry. Caine, ever vigilant, took his broth fully out of the bag and set the bag down beside him on the floor. Then, as if it was the most natural thing to do, he climbed up on Kyoya's bed, raising the broth with both hands to tip it to Kyoya's lips. Stunned and ill, Kyoya was forced to go along with it and drink his broth. One taste of it and his eyes widened as he truly woke. His hands reached up from under the covers of their own accord and covered Caine's as he joined the boy in tilting the broth towards him. He drank thirstily, having been able to keep nothing down throughout the morning, and, as he drank, some of the color returned to his face. The other hosts noticed his color return and breathed a sigh of relief. He was going to be okay after all. Four pairs of eyes silently noted the clasping hands, but none of those watching yet marked their significance.

When Kyoya had drank and recovered sufficiently, he removed his hands from Caine's and said,

"You are all very kind to come."

"How could we not?" chorused the twins, "after all, it's a rare chance to see you out of action."

Kyoya gave their remark a small weak scowl. Caine, looking completely focus and serious, climbed off the bed and returned the now empty broth container back to his bag, reaching for another container within it.

"We need to give you something to build your strength back up," he said gravely, climbing back onto the bed. He opened the container and the savory smell of rice and cooked salmon rose up. Kyoya's stomach rumbled of its own accord, and Caine smiled.

"It seems your appetite is back," he said, taking chopsticks from the container and picking up a mouthful of rice, "I'm glad to hear it, since I heard you weren't able to keep anything down this morning." Kyoya obediently opened his mouth and Caine placed the rice within it. As he chewed he nodded to acknowledge his friend's remark. He reached out and took the chopsticks from the silver-haired boy's hands, wordlessly eating the salmon, rice, and vegetables Caine had prepared him. When he finished, his color had improved measurably.

He said, "Thank you," his voice still quiet but stronger, turned over, and went to sleep. Caine climbed off his bed, suddenly seeming to realize the impropriety of where he was. The hosts, now deprived of their guest, exchanged looks, unsure of what to do.

"We had better let him get some rest," whispered Haruhi. She led the way to the door, and the others, casting glances back at Kyoya's sleeping body, left after her. Caine, leaving his bag of food and some papers which must have been homework, was the last to leave, and as he reached the door, where Haruhi was still standing, having let the other hosts pass, he stopped and looked back at Kyoya once more. Haruhi followed his gaze, seeing the deep concern in her eyes.

"He'll be okay, right?" Caine asked, his voice far smaller and far more afraid than Haruhi had ever heard it before.

"Of course," Haruhi reassured him, "he looks better already." Caine turned to look at Haruhi, and, steeling himself, nodded. Then the two followed the rest of the hosts out.


	23. The Man from Hokkaido

A/N: Don't own anything. I hope you're still enjoying this despite how long it's getting (and this chapter is probably the longest one yet, even after I broke it into this and the next). If you are, please let me know and thanks for reading!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Man from Hokkaido

Tamaki, sensing the tension the ball had caused, arranged a relaxation day for the hosts that Sunday, arranging for them to go to the zoo. As he stood by the pond, wondering where they were supposed to meet up, Caine thought to himself that the planning had probably been done in large part by Haruhi, as Kyoya was still recovering and it was becoming ever-more evident that Tamaki had never planned anything in his life. Still, he liked what his fellow host had come up with–it meant all the hosts could walk and talk about aimless and unimportant things, and that was just what they needed. Distantly he was aware that the relationship between Haruhi and Tamaki had encountered an obstacle, but what took up the majority of his mind was Kyoya. Was he better? Tamaki had called him and he had said he was feeling well enough to attend their day out, but Caine was still concerned. And he couldn't stop turning over their shared dance in his head. Why had he been so affected? What was happening to him?

He was saved, once again, by the appearance of Honey and Mori. The young blonde host was sitting on his friend's shoulders, calling out the animals he saw. When he saw Caine, his grin got even larger–if that was even possible. At the familiar friendly sight the tension that had been building up in silver-haired boy vanished.

"Caine-chan!" Honey shouted. Mori gave him his subdued smile.

"Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai," he said, returning their smiles, "you certainly seem to be enjoying yourselves."

"Tama-chan said they have a white tiger here!" exclaimed Honey enthusiastically, "have you seen it!?"

"Unfortunately, no," Caine replied. "You've seen Tamaki-san? I've been wondering where everyone else is."

"Here and there," said Honey innocently, not realizing he sounded evasive, "We saw Tama-chan and Haru-chan by the bears, and the twins said they were going to find the monkeys. We haven't seen Kyo-chan, though, have we, Takashi?" This was directed at his tall friend.

"No." Mori said in his usual monotone.

Caine's heart made the unsteady motion it had started to do whenever he thought about Kyoya. He ignored it, and said, "Can I stay with you?"

Honey gave another of his brighter-than-the-sun smiles and said, enthusiastically, "Yes! Right, Takashi?"

"Mhm," Mori agreed. He reached out and ruffled Caine's hair. Although that sort of gesture might have annoyed Caine coming from someone else, from Mori it seemed to fit. He fell in step with the two hosts.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a flamboyantly-dressed man came barreling around the corner. Every one of his gestures was vaguely reminiscent of Tamaki, but a Tamaki who had learned to control himself. The three hosts were forced to stop walking, though they had not been making much effort at it before.

Beside the two older hosts, Caine stilled. His eyes widened.

"CAINE!" exclaimed the man at the top of his lungs, then decreased his volume to a stage whisper, "I saw them! Is it the glasses one or the smiley one? It's not one of the same-same ones, is it?" He seemed to suddenly realize Caine was not alone and dropped his voice to a real whisper. "Wait, it's not one of these two, is it?"

Caine said nothing, but started looking extremely annoyed and vaguely ill. He felt an overwhelming urge to stifle the man where he stood, feeling as if he might be sick if the man didn't stop talking.

"Wait, it's not the _girl_ , is it?" the man added in an astonished and over-dramatic whisper. "You haven't become one of _them_ , have you?"

Honey and Mori suddenly put together that the strange man, in some way, was talking about the host club. Casting worried glances at Caine, they regarded the man more carefully.

"Um, excuse me, but how did you know Haru-chan is a girl?" said Honey.

The strange man looked at them somewhat dismissively, "I've crossdressed in my time." He said simply.

Honey tilted his head, looking both like he understood and like he was confused.

Caine recovered himself, and gasped out, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you, of course," he said.

Caine looked pointedly at Honey and Mori. The man made an embarrassed face as he realized he had made a faux pas.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Please pretend I didn't say anything," he said. Honey and Mori, who had not understood anything he had said anyway, agreed to do so.

He stepped back slowly as if to undo his hurried arrival.

"My name is Jonomura," he introduced himself, bowing, "I am… what would you say?"

He looked to Caine for help.

"My uncle," he said. Jonomura nodded.

"These are my friends Haninozuka and Morinozuka," introduced Caine, pointing out each one.

"You can call me Honey!" said Honey, who was excited to meet someone new.

"Mori," said Mori, who was intrigued by this man's tumultuous arrival instead of pretending the peculiar man before him hadn't said anything.

"Nice to meet you," Jonomura said. The boys concurred.

"You should meet Tama-chan and Kyo-chan!" said Honey delightedly, "I guess you've already seen them, but everyone should meet up anyway!"

Jonomura, who had passed by the others on his way there, led them back the way he had come. Honey and Mori actively eavesdropped enough to hear Caine say to him, "But how did you know to come here?"

"Senpai called," he replied simply, "I guess Mira called him worried about you and said whatever helped you in Hokkaido was needed here now."

Caine didn't say anything, but it was clear he was fighting between criticizing and thanking his sister for summoning Jonomura.

Finally, he settled for, "I don't know if the situation is that serious… but more importantly, how did you know to come here as in the zoo?" He gave his uncle a suspicious look out of the corner of his grey eyes.

"Mira, of course," Jonomura replied with a straight face, adding, "Oh, and Shida's on a lecture tour that's coming through here in a few days anyway, and I'm avoiding my editor, and I wanted to see all of you again anyway." As the words tumbled out of his lips, it was clear that while these reasons might be true, he also thought the situation more serious than Caine did.

"Shino-oji's coming here?" Caine said, his voice showing a return to the state of happiness he had been in before Jonomura had come around the corner.

"Please tell me you're as excited to see me as you are him," said Jonomura, jokingly plaintive.

"Oh, of course I am, Jiji-chan," Caine said, shoving Jonomura with his shoulder.

"Jiji-chan?" Honey wondered out loud, realizing too late that he had given away their eavesdropping.

The two walking in front turned to the two walking in back. Neither of the front two seemed annoyed or even surprised that the back two had been eavesdropping.

"My full name is Jonomura Jiro," said Jonomura by way of explanation.

"So Jiji-chan is short for Jiro-oji-chan," added Caine.

"Okay," said Honey, in complete understanding.

Mori guessed Honey did not find it odd that Caine would refer to his uncle by both oji and chan, and he decided not to care, following his childlike friend.

"Do you like the zoo, Jiro-oji?" asked Honey, making conversation, "when Tama-chan told us we were going to come here, I knew it would be fun!"

"I do," answered Jonomura, his voice a bit dream-like, "It reminds me of home."

"Oh, do you have a lot of pets?" said Honey, who didn't quite understand how the zoo could remind someone of home.

"Well, I live on a farm," explained Jonomura, "my boyfriend, Shino, and I, have sheep."

"You don't look like a farmer," said Honey. It was true: Jonomura was wearing a stylish purple suede jacket over red skinny jeans and a black shirt.

"Oh, I'm not, really, I just live there. It's calm and peaceful. The sheep take care of themselves and we have someone come in to shear them when they need it."

Honey, whose wealth had made him accustomed to people without official jobs, didn't ask Jonomura if he did something beyond living on a farm. The four of them approached the monkey exhibit, where they found Hikaru and Kaoru. The twins were surprised to see their group had a fourth member, but they showed it by disdain instead of shock.

"Who are you?" said Kaoru, looking vaguely annoyed.

"Should we know you?" added Hikaru.

"I'm Jonomura Jiro," said Jonomura, bowing and repeating his introduction.

"He's Caine's uncle," added Honey, happy to be in the know.

"I just happened to be at the zoo, and I saw Caine, so I joined him," explained Jonomura, concealing the real situation surrounding his arrival. Honey and Mori gave him a small look as he did so, then exchanged looks, both thinking, _that's interesting_.

"Okay," the twins said in unison, "We're Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru." They declined conspicuously to say who was who.

"Nice to meet you," Jonomura eyed them, put off by their twin act.

"We were going to find the others," Honey said, relieving the group pressure as he so often did.

Again, in the same exact voice, the twins said, "Okay."

 _Same-same is exactly right,_ thought Caine. The twins fell in with them as they headed towards the large mammals.

When they arrived, they saw Kyoya had joined Tamaki and Haruhi, thus sparing the female host at least a portion of the awkwardness Tamaki would provide.

"If I was a bear I'd be a teddy bear!" Tamaki was exclaiming. He was in his usual high spirits.

"But why would you be a bear?" Haruhi asked him.

"Then you could hold me close at night when you were sleeping," waxed Tamaki, ignoring her.

"Senpai, that's perverted," the twins reprimanded in unison.

Kyoya turned at the sound of their voices, looked for a moment as if he was about to say something, then didn't. Tamaki, by contrast, was harshly affected by their words. He slumped down in depression and began growing mushrooms in a little corner of the animal-viewing platform.

"What is he doing?" asked Caine, sidling over to Haruhi. Haruhi rolled her eyes and looked with annoyance down at Tamaki.

"Senpai, I don't think the zoo wants you to grow mushrooms on their premises," she rebuked.

"Is he actually _growing mushrooms_?" asked Jonomura in a low voice, joining their little group. He peered down at the blond-haired boy, baffled as all those newly introduced to Tamaki's extravagant eccentricities were.

"Yes," responded Haruhi, sounding exhausted by Tamaki's odd habits. Then she noticed it was Jonomura who had spoken. "Excuse me, I don't think we've been introduced?"

Caine opened his mouth to explain but was beaten to it by the twins.

"His name is Jonomura," said Hikaru, sounding bored.

"He's Caine's uncle," added Kaoru in the same tone.

Haruhi looked from Caine to Jonomura, then back again.

"We're not literally related, he's just _like_ an uncle to me," Caine explained ruefully, understanding her confusion. Haruhi nodded her understanding. The twins, meanwhile, looked back and forth at Caine and Jonomura, apparently just noticing that they couldn't possibly be related.

"Pleased to meet you," said Jonomura, bowing.

"Pleased to meet you too," said Haruhi, transitioning from taken aback to polite and composed remarkably quickly, "I'm Fujioka Haruhi, but you can just call me Haruhi. Everyone else does."

"Oh yes, you're the girl," stated Jonomura frankly.

Haruhi looked surprised for a second, and Tamaki looked like his mind had just been blown.

"How did you know she was a girl?" He suddenly looked like he was about to mount a massive operation as he jumped to the faraway conclusion that seemed logical to him. "Did it get revealed? Will Haruhi have to stop pretending to be boy? Kyoya, help!"

"One crossdresser knows another," said Kyoya, speaking up at last.

Everyone looked shocked–those who knew Jonomura had crossdressed shocked that Kyoya had found out somehow, and those who did not know shocked to find out that Jonomura had crossdressed.

"Does that mean you're actually a _woman_?" asked Tamaki in astonishment, misunderstanding Kyoya.

"Oh no," answered Jonomura, "I've just dressed as one before. You know, for fun." He turned to Kyoya, "How did you know?"

"I didn't know for sure," admitted Kyoya, "but based on what I know about you, it seemed likely."

Tamaki looked disbelieving to hear his omnipotent friend say _I didn't know_. It was understandable, based on the frequency with which Kyoya's knowledge of a situation far outstripped that of his golden-haired friend.

"It's nice to meet you, Jonomura-san," the glasses-clad boy continued, turning to the older man, "I'm Otori Kyoya."

"Oh," said Tamaki, suddenly remembering they were doing introductions and transforming into his polite host self accordingly, "I'm Suoh Tamaki. It's lovely to meet someone from Caine's family."

"Yes, nice to meet you," Jonomura said to both of them, but he was still looking intently at Kyoya.

"Let's go look at the fish!" called out Honey, wanting to enjoy his time at the zoo.

As everyone headed in the direction of the aquarium, Haruhi, at the back of the group, heard Jonomura say to Caine, "That Otori boy seems to know a lot."

Caine looked like he was about to say something, but closed his mouth when he noticed Haruhi standing behind him. Jonomura followed his gaze and his features became more thoughtful as he seemed to understand something.

"So you went through with it," he said mysteriously and admiringly.

"Starting at a new school was the perfect opportunity," Caine replied.

"I'm guessing he knows the truth, though," Jonomura said. Haruhi guessed they must be talking about the secret of Caine's sexuality–that which had caused him enough grief he had erased the impression of it. And of course Kyoya would know, she thought–he knew everything about everyone.

Caine nodded.

"It's your identity," said Jonomura. Caine sighed, saying nothing, and Haruhi nodded to herself, knowing the burden of concealing an integral part of one's being.

The three walked for a few moments in silence, enjoying the day's pleasant weather. Above them, a wisp of white cloud drifted lazily towards the western horizon.

"Tamaki-senpai and the twins aren't good at seeing that kind of stuff," Haruhi added, wanting to break the ice and let Jonomura know she, too, was in on the secret. It wasn't as if they didn't know she had been listening in–they had glanced back at her before they began their conversation. It would be more impolite to keep eavesdropping than to overtly enter the discussion. "They didn't find out I was a girl until they saw me with my shirt off."

Jonomura surprised her by laughing suddenly. It was loud enough the others looked back at them, wondering what had made him laugh.

"Wow, they really _are_ dense," he said around his laugh. Caine and Haruhi gave him a joint look that said, _it's not_ that _obvious_. "I suppose the line is pretty blurred, but still." He looked at Haruhi, "And the other three?"

"Not Honey and Mori either," Haruhi admitted, "just Kyoya-senpai."

"Well, brilliant boy doesn't count," said Jonomura, his voice filled with a good-humoredly sarcastic mock-scorn, "he knows everything." Caine and Haruhi exchanged a look that said, _well, you're not wrong_.

By this time the group had reached the front doors of the aquarium. Caine, Jonomura, and Haruhi, who had fallen behind a little, hurried to catch up.

"Can we get fish candy?" they heard Honey asking Mori.

"They sell food here?" asked Jonomura, looking hungry.

"You haven't eaten?" asked Honey, aghast that a person could do such a thing. He quickly climbed down off Mori's shoulders and walked over to Jonomura. "Come on, let's go get some food!" The three of them walked off towards the cafe, while the rest of the hosts walked into the darkened aquarium.

"Sir, let's go see the sharks," the twins said to Tamaki.

"Haruhi, have you ever seen a shark before?" asked Tamaki magnanimously, wanting to give the commoner a new privilege.

"Of course I have, Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi said in an annoyed tone, "the zoo isn't that expensive." But she joined the twins walking toward the shark exhibit. In a few moments, Caine and Kyoya were alone.


	24. Research Breeds Intelligence

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. I hope you enjoy chapter 24–thanks for continuing to read.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Research Breeds Intelligence

After the other hosts had gone their separate ways, Kyoya and Caine stood quietly together in the lobby of the aquarium. Neither was quite sure of what to say, wanting to act normally and erase the tension the dance had built between them. They walked along in silence towards the big tropical aquarium.

As they walked into the dark area where there was a tunnel underneath the aquarium so that patrons could look up at the fish, Caine spoke.

"I think this aquarium is bigger than the one they have in Kyoto," he said, keeping his voice light, "they don't have fish overhead there, at least."

"This is the largest aquarium in Japan," commented Kyoya, who was similarly trying to make small talk.

"I think fish are my favorite animals," said Caine, "they're so quiet." They both watched the fish for awhile in silence. The brilliantly colored reef fish swam quickly past overhead, while the larger fish and rays moved more slowly, their silvered sides gleaming in the low light. Something about those reflections reminded Caine of the light reflecting off Kyoya's glasses the first day they met, and he thought suddenly how little he really knew him.

"You know, the oceans cover about 71% of Earth's surface, and we hardly know anything about them," Caine added, remembering another fact about the unknown.

There was a long pause as Kyoya thought about what he had said. Finally, he said,

"You'd think, as an island nation, we would know a little bit more, but we don't."

They kept walking. There was no one else in their particular part of the aquarium; most people were outside, enjoying the pleasant day.

"So what brings your father's friend to Tokyo?" he said. It was clearly a question he had wanted to ask him immediately and had forced himself to wait to ask. Caine saw, also, that he knew Jonomura and Yabatsukuni had been friends for a long time, since before he and Mira were adopted.

"Well, he said that his boyfriend had a lecture tour, and that he decided he wanted to see us, but I'm not sure," he answered, omitting what he knew the man had really come for.

"His boyfriend?" Kyoya played dumb, doing what Caine did all the time to make people feel less intimidated by his intelligence. Quickly, he corrected himself, saying, "I'm sorry. I don't need to do that with you, do I? I know his boyfriend is Shino Matsushida-sensei, the renowned doctor of sexuality studies. I didn't know he was on another lecture tour, though, but I'm not surprised."

"Hmm, even with your smarts I'm surprised you've heard of him," said Caine, impressed.

Kyoya looked away, his eyes shifting to avoid Caine's gaze,

"I do research on everyone who joins host club."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Caine. Kyoya relaxed, glad the silver-haired boy was satisfied by his response. It was true, after all. If he had done more extensive research on Caine than others, it was nothing to concern him with. "I suppose you do at least some level of research on everyone at this school, to see if there's anyone who worries you. Research breeds intelligence, after all." He said it like it was logical someone would do research on all of their classmates, instead of intrusive and borderline obsessive. Kyoya was glad he seemed to take the former view instead of the latter, as many who knew of his researching tendencies looked askance at him for them.

They walked further on until they came to the room with the jellyfish-viewing tanks. At the far side of the room, near a side entrance, that lead to the cafe, Honey, Mori and Jonomura were watching the jellyfish swim lazily around, Jonomura and Honey remarking at how pretty they were while Mori agreed in his usual taciturn way. All three were carrying adzuki bean paste buns, although Mori's was likely a second for Honey.

"I guess we had better join them," Caine said, almost rueful.

Kyoya nodded. Their moment alone together had dispelled any possibility of tension between them, and, his worry gone, he was ready to rejoin the rest of the group.

"Jiro-oji!" Caine called out, striding ahead of him towards the others.

"Caine!" he replied excitedly, and turned towards the boy, as did Honey and Mori, the former of whom repeated Jonomura's shout.

"Caine-chan! Kyo-chan!" added Honey, seeing the other boy behind Caine. "Jiro-oji bought us adzuki buns!" he continued, holding up the one in his hand as proof.

Caine smiled at him. It was relaxing to interact with someone so simple, never making you deal with anything complex and always being kind. It was part of what had made him want to join the Host Club in the first place, and even in the short time they'd known each other, he valued their friendship. Jonomura, too, had clearly noticed it; he gave Caine a secret smile and nod to say, _I like them already_. He had likely deliberately gone to the cafe with Honey and Mori in order to find out firsthand what kind of people were in this new Host Club of Caine's. He was like that–he didn't often seem to be planning anything, but he found a way to discover what he wanted to know anyway.

Ready for something more simple, Caine let go of his train of thought and let Honey show him which jellyfish he liked best.


	25. Why Are You Really Here?

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Please enjoy chapter twenty-five.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Why Are You Really Here?

The hosts waited by the front gate of the zoo, finished with their day out. They had seen everything the zoo had to offer and Caine had to admit it seemed like everyone, himself included, had enjoyed themselves. Although everyone had made their way to the zoo on their own, Tamaki wanted them to all leave together, having insisted, _this will make the perfect ending to our day out_ , in the voice which, as usual, was impossible to say no to. Now, he and Kyoya were standing a ways off, Kyoya on the phone with his family's staff to get a car, and Tamaki excitedly buzzing around him. The twins had taken one unimpressed look at Tamaki's over-enthusiasm and said they were going back in to get something to eat, and Honey was chatting animatedly at Mori about how amazing it had been to finally see a white tiger, so Haruhi, Caine, and Jonomura were standing alone.

Jonomura, who had been trying the whole day to get Caine to talk about whatever he had been talking about when they first met, whispered, a little less secretively than he meant to, "Caine, think about it. I could really help you with your problem…"

Caine, who saw where this was headed, hissed, "Shut up," quickly and in a voice that said the temperature in his immediate vicinity had decreased sharply.

Jonomura, who hadn't heard him, continued, "especially considering my line of work…"  
Caine, who saw _incredibly clearly_ where this was headed, sharply repeated, "Jiji, _shut up_ ," a fraction louder.

Jonomura shut his mouth, but the look in his eyes said he wanted to finish the sentence. Haruhi, adamantly pretending she hadn't heard anything, concentrated silently on wondering what he had been about to say. Jonomura and Caine didn't notice her, focused as they were on exchanged pointed and furious looks, a telepathic fight. The area descended into an awkward silence, broken only when Tamaki and Kyoya returned to the group.

Tamaki, as usual, didn't seem to notice events had occurred in the world in his absence.

"Kyoya got us a car!" he exclaimed in his typical excited voice. Kyoya shrugged his shoulders and nodded as if to say, _yes, it wasn't that hard_.

A few moments later, the car pulled up to take them all home.

At the Yabatsukuni house, later that night, Mira was both surprised and delighted to see Jiro when he and Caine returned to the house from the zoo. Usually the twins only saw their uncle when they visited him in Okinawa, but she knew he'd lived in their Kyoto house with her father when she and her brother were little, acting as a surrogate mother. He had abruptly dropped out of their lives for a few months when they were nine, when his father back home in America had sickened and died. When he'd returned, it was with his boyfriend Shino in tow, and the two of them had moved into a house in Okinawa. She and Caine had gone to visit them there the first summer and had ended up making it a habit to stay there every summer.

The car pulled up and Caine and Jiro got out.

"Good evening, Mira-sama, goodbye Jonomura-san, Caine," Mira heard some of the host club members shout as the car pulled away.

"Jiji-chan!" she exclaimed once the car was gone, "to what do we owe this pleasure?"

"MIRA!" shrieked Jiro, grinning as broadly as his mouth would allow. "It's so great to see you!"

"Um, you know To-san's not here, right?" she asked. Both she and her brother were well aware Jiro had once been in love with their father, in the days before he had met Shino.

Jiro made a face and rolled his eyes, "Yes, I know."

"Then, I mean, as much as I love the fact that you're here, why did you come?" Mira asked, attempting delicacy. "I mean, you've never been to the Tokyo house, right?"

Jiro shot a quick look at Caine, then said, "I'm avoiding my editor, and Shino…"

He was interrupted by a look from Caine. He tipped his head, silently saying, _you might as well._ At the permission, the immense enthusiasm that usually characterized Jiro drained out of his face, and he sighed deeply. Mira was immediately suspicious. She had never seen Jiro like this. He was always showing his silly side, so much that it sometimes seemed as if he didn't have a serious side. She had always suspected he had one, since it would have been necessary for him to have a serious side to do so many of the things he'd accomplished. Coming to live in a foreign country as a teenager, becoming friends with one of the sons of the most famous family in the country, becoming an acclaimed writer, dealing with his father's death, his relationship with Shino. But he always seemed to be smiling and suggesting something ridiculous.

"Okay, I came to help Caine," he said, "although I _am_ avoiding my editor at the same time."

"Help Caine?" Mira repeated. Her mind flashed back to the call she'd made two days ago to her father. _Whatever helped him in Hokkaido is needed here now,_ she had said. But there was no way this was related. Jiro didn't even live in Hokkaido, he lived in Okinawa. Or at least that was where she had always seen him before. But now that she thought about it, she realized there was no way Jiro owned the Okinawa house. It was simply too well situated, too lavish, too… Yabatsukuni. Which meant he had been at to the house for summer vacation, just as they were. Which meant he had another, non-summer house. In Hokkaido, it seemed.

"Mira?" Caine asked, peering at her. She had been gazing vacantly into space for too long, then.

"You're _whatever helped him in Hokkaido_?" she said slowly, in disbelief. Jiro nodded, smiling his way back to his usual cheerful self.

"Okay," she said hollowly, still trying to work through it in her head.

"Sorry I didn't say anything," Caine apologized. "Really, there wasn't any reason to keep it from you, and I'm not sure why I did."

"I can't believe I never realized _the Oki summer house_ was a reference to the fact we own the house I always thought was yours," Mira said to Jiro, laughing. "But Hokkaido? You live in Hokkaido?"

"It's a peaceful writing environment," Jiro defended himself, "besides, it's where Shida's from. One of his, ah, secret boyfriends had willed him his house pretty much out in the middle of nowhere before he committed suicide. We found out about it after The Confrontation and decided to live there for a while until we picked another place, and then we just never did."

"Can I visit the house sometime?" asked Mira.

"Sure, but I don't know that the remoteness will be your cup of tea," replied Jiro.

"Still, I want to see it."

The three of them headed into the house. As they went in, Jiro realized they hadn't covered the big issue at hand.

"You don't want to know what happened in Hokkaido?" he asked Mira as the twins walked into the house ahead of them.

She turned back briefly.

"I trust you," she replied, momentarily serious. "Besides, whatever you did, it worked."

It was quite late that night when Haruhi was finally able to sit down and think about what she had heard that day at the zoo. When she had gotten home, her father had made a big fuss over her and made her describe the day in tediously vivid detail, even though they had been to the zoo together before. He was fascinated to hear what the rest of the host club had gotten up to and what everyone had said to everyone else, especially what was said to her and what she had replied. She had mostly left out Jonomura and what he had said, saying only that the new host's uncle had dropped by momentarily. Ranka had taken an instant liking to Caine the day Haruhi had told him he was gay, glad his daughter wouldn't be threatened by another overly-flirtatious boy. He had told Haruhi to stick with Caine, that the other hosts were troublesome boys but that Caine was part of the family. When she mentioned Jonomura and said he had mentioned something about crossdressing, her father only redoubled his praises of the silver-haired boy. Once she had finally managed to wrap up the story once and for all, she had homework to do, and since she had wasted the time she had planned to use to do it at the zoo, she worked more urgently than usual. Still, when her mind had time between assignments to wander, and, later, when she sat in the bath, she thought again and again of Jonomura's words. _Caine, think about it. I could really help you with your problem…_ What on earth could he mean? What was Caine's _problem_? She couldn't imagine think it had anything to do with the host's hidden sexuality and how his flirting in Host Club went against it–Caine clearly didn't mind being perceived as straight. And other than that he didn't seem to have any problems. Haruhi had heard he was almost as smart as Kyoya, and he had close connections to the high-status Yabatsukuni family through his childhood friendship with Mira. What else could there be to worry about?

Then she remembered what had followed. _Especially considering my line of work…_ That meant she might be able to understand what Caine's problem was if she could figure out what Jonomura did for a living. But what in the world was it he did?

She got out of the bath and toweled herself dry, changing into her pajamas. Going into her bedroom, she pulled out her computer and did a search. _Jonomura… what was his first name? Oh, that's right. It was Jiro. Jonomura Jiro._ She clicked on the first link.

Jonomura Jiro, better known by his pen name Zhai, is a contemporary writer of shojo manga.

 _Zhai,_ she thought, _that name sounds familiar. I don't usually read shojo manga–I find it much too formulaic and totally unbelievable–_ and here she paused a moment as her mind flashed to Tamaki and how unbelievable he could be– _but I think I might have read something by him._ She turned to look through her books.

It was only later, as she finished re-reading Zhai's book and was thinking, _I remember why I read this, it's not formulaic or unbelievable at all,_ that she remembered she had looked into what Jonomura's line of work was in order to find out kind of problem Caine could have that his work would help her with.

Jonomura was a _shojo manga_ writer _._

Shojo manga was about _romance._

Caine's problem was… _Romance?!_


	26. Haruhi's Realization

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Please enjoy chapter twenty-six :)

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Haruhi's Realization

When Haruhi entered host club the following Monday, she was burning with curiosity. The discovery she had tentatively made the previous night was in the forefront of her mind, and she was determined to find out more. She wanted to ask Caine about it, but at the same time was resolved to try to protect his privacy; after all, if Tamaki found out Caine might be in love he would never let up trying to find out who it was and matchmake them together.

Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat. _What if Caine was in love with Tamaki?_ She dismissed the idea as quickly as it had come. Of course Caine wasn't in love with Tamaki, who could be in love with that annoying, overemotional, weird, irrational, crazy guy… She abruptly abandoned her trail of thought, choosing to ignore the fact that she felt distinctly uncomfortable with the idea of Caine being in love with Tamaki, no matter how unreasonable it was. She shouldn't worry about who liked Tamaki or who Tamaki liked, it was none of her business.

Shaking her head to clear it, Haruhi dragged herself away from thinking about Tamaki and focused back on Caine. If she was going to ask the boy about it, she had to do it out of the way of the other hosts. But how to engineer that…?

She was dragged out of her reverie by the appearance of Tamaki, Kyoya, and Caine at the door. They appeared to be discussing something that had happened in their class–Caine and Kyoya's heads were bent together conspiratorially as they spoke. It reminded Haruhi of what Tamaki had said the day he announced the ball. _Don't you think they look like brothers?_ They did look close enough to be, she thought absently. Tamaki, meanwhile, was popping in and out of their discussion making random remarks without properly being part of the conversation. She sighed and smiled at the sight. He was always just so enthusiastic…

Then the three of them caught sight of her, and it was time for Tamaki to fuss over her just a little bit and her to rebuff him and say "Senpai!" in a rebuking voice, and for host club to finally begin. Everyone was abuzz with gossip about the ball, and Tamaki's host-host dancing was being lauded as the most beautiful thing some of the girls had ever seen. Her clients were pressing her on what it was like to dance with Tamaki– _wasn't he a graceful dancer–_ and so on, and she talked to them about eating fancy tuna for the first time as they giggled. At Caine's typical window seat she saw the boy talking with his own clients.

Meanwhile, the events of the weekend had made Caine almost forget about the dance the previous Thursday. The girls, on the other hand, had certainly not forgotten; in fact, it was the only thing they wanted to talk about.

"I didn't expect you to be such a good dancer," Ayatome said, "but you were really good!"

Kuruna gave her friend a sideways look. "Of course Caine's a good dancer," she retorted. Ayatome, well experienced in the art of wording things in a way that didn't sound like what she meant, looked suitably chastened.

Tsukamari grinned at Caine, remembering their unorthodox dance. "I knew you'd be a good dancer based on your excellent music taste," she said.

"Thanks," Caine said, "and thank you for suggesting we dance informally. I don't get a chance to do that often enough." Tsukamari nodded knowingly.

"Your dance with Yabatsukuni-sama was pretty interesting," interjected Honome, making _interesting_ sound like an accusation, "I bet you've danced with her a lot, since you're childhood friends." She made _childhood friends_ sound like an accusation too. It was obvious she was jealous of Mira and Caine's familiarity.

"Well yeah, actually, I have," Caine explained. "When I was a kid, I really wasn't a fan of such elaborate affairs, but my family would get invited to them by Yabatsukuni-oto-sama and I would stick with Mira because I didn't know anyone else. She really likes dancing, so I guess she just roped me into it."

"Mira-sama's dancing was really stunning to behold," commented Ayatome, "I guess that's what comes of having natural talent and practicing a lot." Caine nodded.

Caine noticed Hayakuza standing shyly a little outside their circle and decided to engage her in the conversation.

"Hayakuza-san, I read the book you recommended me over the weekend," he said.

"Really!?" squeaked Hayakuza, both thrilled and frightened to be singled out so. "What did you think?"

"I thought it was really interesting the way it discussed family. Being American-born, it's always interesting for me to read how differently Japanese and American authors address the subject."

"Actually, my mother and I read it together after my grandmother passed away. It had been one of her favorite books and it was a way for us to reconnect with her, and with each other." When Hayakuza talked about books some of her shyness left her; her eyes lit up and she smiled without knowing she was doing it. It made her quite pretty, and, naturally, it made the other customers jealous.

"Excuse me, but why was there no host club on Friday?" Honome butted in, "I came to the room as usual but there was a sign up simply saying, _No Host Club Today_. What was going on?"

Caine's stomach sank as he thought back to Friday. Luckily, and surprisingly, he was saved by Tanaka.

"Oh, didn't you know Otori-kun was sick on Friday?" Caine suddenly remembered Tanaka was in his class. That would be how she would have known of Kyoya's sickness.

Honome looked angry at having been outdone in the race to know everything about the hosts.

"Oh, well, yes," she said darkly, clearly willing everyone to pretend she had not asked the question, "I just didn't realize that the entire host club would shut down if one host was absent."

"I heard you all went to see him and make sure he was okay," said Kuruna.

"Oh, yes," said Caine, not wanting to talk about it but not wanting the girls to know he didn't want to, "he was pretty sick. I guess he had been throwing up."

Everyone except Caine looked over at Kyoya. Caine looked at them instead, not wanting to be caught looking at Kyoya.

"He looks much better now," said Ayatome absently.

"Yeah, you can't even tell he was sick," added Tsukamuri.

"Well, his family does run a medical company and own several hospitals," Honome explained, glad to be able to display her information edge and prove she could still dominate. The other girls nodded at her explanation.

"And he had the weekend to recover," added Kuruna.

"That's true," said Caine, seeing an easy subject change and jumping on it, "So, what did everyone do over the weekend?"

His diversion was successful and they spent the rest of the time talking about the girls' weekends and rehashing the ball, discussing who had worn what and danced with whom.

As Caine was getting ready to leave, Haruhi approached him.

"Hey, could I talk to you for a moment?" the girl asked. Caine, wondering what she could need to asking him about, went with her into the dressing room.

He was utterly unprepared for what Haruhi said next.

"Caine, what did Jonomura-san mean by _I could really help you with your problem, especially considering my line of work_? Isn't he a shojo manga writer?"

Caine's face and mind went white with panic. He choked on the air he was breathing and distantly was grateful Haruhi had chosen to bring him out of the way of the other hosts before saying this.

"Does he think that you're in love?"

The few remaining thoughts in Caine's mind and drops of blood in his face followed the others in the mad rush for the emergency exits. His eyes were wide and he could tell he was breathing too fast.

Haruhi's eyes changed as she found some answer in Caine's reaction. She pulled back, and said, laughing,

"I bet shojo manga writers see love everywhere they look."

She hoped it would diffuse the tension, and after an awkward silence during which Caine's mind rebooted itself, he joined her, forcing out an awkward laugh.

"You're probably right," he said in a voice still clearly not recovered from Haruhi's question. Then he gave a real smile as his thoughts escaped the black hole of Haruhi's question.

"It's hilarious, actually. There are two completely different sides to his personality. Most of the time he's like he was at the zoo, jumping from topic to topic without a care in the world, but when he gets serious he's like a whole different person." He bit his lip, debating whether to give Haruhi an example. "So, I haven't told anyone (aside from Kyoya) here this, but I had some trouble at my old school with bullies. My father said he was going to take me to someone who could help me, so you can imagine I was surprised when he took me to Jiro-oji's house. After all, I only knew him as someone who came around in the summer and was the "cool uncle". But he really helped me through it."

"Yeah, it's hard to imagine him as serious," said Haruhi, smiling. She was no doubt remembering how Jonomura had jumped up and down like a grown-up Tamaki when he saw the toucans in the tropical exhibit.

She turned back to Caine, her face serious. She evidently wasn't about to allow him to casually change the subject.

"So, does he see the truth? Are you?" she asked, sensing he might have calmed down enough to address her question.

Caine sighed deeply, realizing he wasn't going to be let off easily. Haruhi was too well grounded to be distracted using tactics that would work on most other people. He sat down heavily on the edge of the chair over which Haruhi's school uniform blazer was now draped.

"I don't really know," he admitted. "Given my sexuality and the difficulties I've had to go through because of it, I haven't had the luxury to think about love in the past. And it's not something that comes naturally to someone with a personality like mine, anyway. But I've been experiencing strange and irrational feelings, and I think they may extend beyond the boundaries of friendship. So, _perhaps_ is my answer. I'm sorry I can't give you a clearer answer, but in these kinds of matters, I believe it's better to be careful and put a lot of thought into your words before you say them."

Haruhi nodded sagely.

"I agree," she replied. It was best to be sure of such things, after all.

She let him go, but internally, she was dying to press him further. After getting this much of an admonition out of him, she thought she might have been able to get him to tell her anything. And there was still the all important question of _who_.

She stood in the doorway of the dressing room, watching her fellow hosts as they prepared to return home. Mori lifted Honey onto his shoulders, the twins gave each other their twin-telepathy looks, and Tamaki, Caine and Kyoya gathered together near the door to add some closing remarks to the 'conversation' they had been engaged in when they arrived at host club. Suddenly, as she saw them standing together, she realized she didn't need to ask the question. She already knew. There was only one person who Caine would consider to stand _beyond the boundaries of friendship_.


	27. A Meeting of Minds

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Please enjoy chapter twenty-seven.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Meeting of Minds

When Caine arrived home the following night, he expected only to be treated to another evening of Jiro's good cooking and even better conversation. When he saw the extra pair of shoes in the entryway; however, he knew he would be getting an even more excellent treat. He kicked off his shoes, not even bothering to place them neatly to the side, placed his school bag gently on the bench by the entrance, and surged up into the house to greet his favorite member of his family.

"Shino!" he called out happily in a rare display of enthusiasm comparable to his sister. His steps were large and hurried as he strode down the hallway towards the house's main room.

On the other side of the sliding door at the end of the hallway lay a large room with a tatami mat floor. In contrast to its size, the room was sparsely furnished, only holding a broad yet elegant coffee table made from sleek Australian blackwood and a set of matching black silk cushions. The table was set at the far end of the room, where sliding doors were opened onto a view of a magnificent garden. Carefully groomed trees and shrubs, both evergreen and deciduous, framed an artificial lake. The lake's surface shimmered in the light, as a still as a mirror, and off it floated a sense of calm that pervaded the atmosphere of the room.

Basking in the relaxed aura of the lake, four people were sitting around the table on cushions, sharing a pot of hot tea. The first was Mira, the serene air of the lake making her look more like her brother than ever. She wore a lilac kimono and her long silver hair had been pinned up skillfully by her newly-arrived uncle using only a single lilac-decorated hairpin. Beside her sat Seito, similarly calm and wearing, as he often did, a light grey kimono, his fuchsia belt slashing around him. Opposite them at the table sat Jiro, the lake's tranquility inducing him to show the uncommon subdued side of his personality. He too, was dressed in a kimono: his was plum, belted in pale pink. The fourth man sat facing the lake, his back to the rest of the house. He wore a pale green kimono decorated with tiny embroidered yellow flowers, which he had belted in a matching yellow. His long black hair flowed down his back, a portion of it pinned up atop his head with a green dragonfly pin. The hand that had pinned up Mira's hair was patently visible in the skill with which the man's hair tied up, making it clear it was he who had pinned his niece's hair. The man was shorter and more delicately built than most men, but the contrast was not so visible here, in the company of two similarly-built men and a high school girl.

As soon as Caine pushed open the sliding door and saw the four assembled there he called out the fourth man's name again.

"Shino!" he cried, his voice as enthusiastic as his first cry. Mira, Seito and Jiro turned towards his voice at its sound, and the fourth man, who was none other than Caine's beloved uncle, Shino Matsushida, rose from his seat to greet his nephew.

His movements were gracefully, like those of a dancer, as he turned to Caine. Now that his face could be seen it was evident it was one of uncommon beauty, bearing on it an intelligent and gentle expression. He wore large thick-rimmed glasses that showed the hours he had spent on study on his path to becoming Japan's foremost expert on modern Japanese male homosexuality. When he spoke, his voice was clear and pleasant, a voice many of those who had listened to his well-renowned lectures had complimented for its ability to instill the feeling that the speaker was an expert on his subject matter, even above and beyond the insightful words he pronounced with it.

"Caine," he returned the greeting, his voice as calm as the lake he had been gazing at. "It's wonderful to see you again, as always."

Caine strode up to him and the two hugged, then Shino brought a cushion for Caine and the silver-haired boy sat, accepting the cup of tea his sister poured for him.

"How have you been, dear uncle?" asked Caine, carefully blowing the steam off his tea and taking a small sip.

Shino smiled genially.

"No doubt my darling has already mentioned to you that I am once again travelling for a lecture tour," he replied. "I'm speaking on male homosexuality in modern Japanese pop culture entertainment–that is, shonen ai manga and anime."

"Manga, huh?" Caine replied teasingly, "did you conference with Jiji about that, since he's a mangaka?"

Shino laughed and Jiro cut in, "Caine, you know I write shojo manga, not yaoi."

"It would be a little too true to life if he wrote yaoi, if you catch my drift," Shino commented, grinning wickedly. Caine, Mira and Seito laughed at his joke, while Jiro blushed bright red.

"Anyway," Shino continued, "I was going to be spending a few days in Tokyo on the tour, so I couldn't miss a chance to see you three," he gestured at Caine, Mira and Seito, "and of course I'm very happy my darling is here as well." He smiled lovingly at Jiro, who returned the expression.

Shino returned his gaze to Caine, asking the anticipated question. "And how have you been, dear nephew? I believe your sister mentioned you had joined a social club?"

Silence reigned in the wake of the question as Caine, Jiro and Mira exchanged a series of telepathic looks.

"Well, about that…"

He stopped suddenly, and cocked his head, as if listening to something.

"Yes?" asked Shino, nudging him to go on. Instead, Caine stood.

"Can anyone else hear that?" he said mysteriously. The other four people sitting around the table cocked their heads in the same motion Caine had used and listened. Mira and Seito heard the sound first, both springing up suddenly at almost the same moment.

"Someone's at the door!" exclaimed Mira.  
"I'll go find out who it is," Seito promised.

Shino rose languidly from his cushion.

"Let's _all_ go," he suggested, and, agreed, the five at the table got up and headed down the hallway to the front door. When they arrived, Seito opened the door, revealing who had knocked.

To everyone's surprise, it was Kyoya.

"Caine," he said, the look on his face clearly showing he had not expected to be greeted by so many people. "You looked shaken when you left today. I was worried about you, so I decided to come check on you." His voice sounded strangely uncertain, and Mira and Jiro shared a meaningful look behind the backs of the other three.

Empty air greeted his remark as Caine simply stared at him, his mind silently screaming an inquiry as to how his friend had arrived at this particular moment.

Shino's eyes flicked quickly at his beloved, and, seeing the look that was passing between him and Mira, the fined-tuned wheels of his intelligence began to turn in his brain.  
"Well, well, what do we have here?" he questioned knowingly.

Kyoya retreated onto the familiar ground of introductions, bowing.

"My name is Otori Kyoya," he explained. "I'm a friend of Caine's from school."

Shino, who had been staring intensely at him, switched his serious face for a smile.

"Well come in then!" he replied encouragingly. Kyoya's eyes flicked from him to Caine, who nodded almost imperceptibly, and he nodded and stepped inside. The group proceeded back down the hallway; when they reached the sliding door Shino suddenly said,

"Why don't you go ahead up and change, Caine?" His voice was as casual as it had been before, but it was clearly not a suggestion that could be turned down. Accordingly, Caine separated from them, heading down to the staircase at the right end of the building. Seito left them as well, heading to the kitchen, saying he would make more tea. The remaining four returned to their seats around the black table, Kyoya sitting on Caine's cushion and taking a careful sip out of the cup in front of it on the table.

Kyoya and Shino watched each other carefully, two of unsurpassed intelligence, both sizing the other up. The short-haired boy drank the rest of the cup of tea (it was cold, and almost empty), then said,

"You must be Shino Matsushida." Shino turned his head, and for a moment the glasses of both men glinted opaque in the light, their expressions unreadable.

Shino smiled deviously and replied, "And you must be the boy from the host club."

Kyoya nodded. It wouldn't do any good to try to hide anything from this man, he realized, he would only see through any attempts at deception.

"So," the long-haired man continued, "what do you think of our Caine?"

Kyoya stilled. He could see it would be important to give Caine's uncle a well thought out answer, so he took his time to seriously consider what he would say in reply. As he thought, he noticed a miniscule glint of approval in Shino's eyes at his serious expression and realized he had been correct in deciding to mull over his answer.

"I can honestly say that I don't know what I think about Caine," he began, choosing his words carefully. "I definitely consider him a friend, and have done so since the day we met, even before we started spending time together outside of class, in host club. There was something he said to me that day, about preferring to be judged by his character instead of his name, that made me think our outlooks on life were compatible."

On the sidelines, Jiro nodded. It was something he and Caine had discussed at length when Caine had come to him in Hokkaido after his moment of final despair in Kyoto. How people would hate him for being a feminine boy no matter who he was, but they hated him even more for being both a feminine boy and the presumed heir to the prestigious Yabatsukuni family. If only they were unaware of his famous parentage, he had said, he could at least live with complaints about his sexuality. It was why Yabatsukuni had made the decision to return to Tokyo, to allow Caine a fresh start away from those who marked him only by his father's fame.

"We sit together in class, as I'm the class president and he's the vice-president, so we grew to become close classmates," Kyoya continued. "It may seem presumptuous to say this, but it's not often that I find someone my age with a mind as astute as mine. Caine, as I quickly discovered, is possessed of such an acumen. Then he came to Host Club one day to collect Mira and caught the eye of the club's leader, Suou Tamaki." He paused. "By 'caught the eye of', I should explain Tamaki decided he was determined make Caine a member of Host Club. Knowing what I did of Caine's character, I doubted it was something he would want to do, but Tamaki isn't someone who is easily dissuaded once he makes up his mind." He shot a brief glance at Shino out of the corner of his eye, then added, "I admit I was hoping Caine would be successfully persuaded to join the club, as I wanted to get to know him better. As it happened, he was not entirely opposed to it, and after meeting the other club members in a casual setting and discussing the matter with his father, he decided he would become one of us."

Kyoya paused to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose, methodically arranging his thoughts before continuing.

"It was not long after he joined the club that I noticed that my eyes seemed to find their way over to watching him when I was not keeping strict guard over them. At first, I assumed my concern was motivated by my belief that being a host was not something naturally within the ability of someone with a character like Caine's. But reasoning like that could only apply for the first few days after Caine joined Host Club, as he was able to adapt to a host's duties with relative ease. My eyes; however, kept watching him long after I knew I did not need to check whether or not he was performing adequately as a host. Then one day, during one of our special costume events, Caine collapsed from exhaustion."

He paused, glancing at Shino's face to check his reaction. The green kimono-clad man had a small smile on his face, no doubt a reaction to hearing Caine had participated in a costume event, and his eyes showed his keen interest in Kyoya's story.

The glasses-clad boy continued his recounting.

"The moment I saw he was falling, I panicked. For a split second I was frozen in place, both my heartbeat and breathing seemed to have stopped. The next thing I knew, I had rushed to his side and caught him, breaking his fall. I found myself worrying about him, and I rarely worry about anything. Then someone, one of the customers, said something about us looking like a scene from a romance, and I found myself irrationally irritated. Now I rarely get worried, but I _never_ get angry. But I was concerned enough about Caine that I ignored it at the time. About a week later, the Host Club held a ball, and I found my heart and lungs ceasing to perform their functions again. I knew it couldn't be worry over Caine's safety, as our shared dance showed he clearly possessed the excellent dancing skills most of our class do. But I still felt anxious, for no discernable reason. At that occasion, too, I was distracted from considering it deeply, as I fell ill that very night and was forced to miss the next day of school–another first for me, I might add. Since then I've seen him at the zoo–that day you were with us, Jonomura-san–and again at school and host club, and I can't help feeling, for some reason, confused. An emotion which I have felt but once before in my life, and that was when I met Tamaki, who has had an influence on me I doubt he fully understands the extent of."

He sighed, exhausted by his story.

"So that's what I mean by I don't know what I think about Caine," he finished. "I know I like him, but truthfully I'm no longer sure what I mean when I say that."

He looked, however, as if he understood more than he had when he began his response.

"Ah, so it's like that," said the voice of Seito. Kyoya turned and found him standing in the doorway, carrying a fresh pot of tea. From the way he was leaning casually against the wall, Kyoya could tell he had been standing there for quite some time, listening to his story.

"Like what?" said Caine, arriving at the door. He had changed into a blue kimono, belted in a silver that matched his head. Seeing him, Kyoya felt a now-familiar feeling of lightheadedness start to sink in. Suddenly, he felt a cool object encompass his hand. Looking down, he saw that Shino had taken his hand. The man's large dark eyes looked at him understandingly, then he released Kyoya's hand.

"Caine, you're back!" he exclaimed, throwing off the seriousness of the previous moment. "Your friend was just telling me about your new club."

Caine looked vaguely suspicious; Kyoya supposed he could sense the weighty air of the conversation he had walked in on the end of.

"Why don't you show your friend around the garden?" Shino suggested. Again, Kyoya could sense that despite his light tone, it was a mandatory request. Caine nodded obediently, and motioned for Kyoya to join him walking out the door that opened into the garden. Mira, similarly, departed, sensing the older men wanted to talk amongst themselves.

Once they were gone, Seito joined the other two sitting around the table.

"You heard the whole thing, I assume, Ryuichiro?" Shino asked. Seito nodded.

The three men exchanged telepathically significant looks. Due to the close bond they shared through the master of the house, they could impart rather large amounts of information in their communal gazes.

"The news is good for Caine, then," Shino said finally. "Mira has told me as much as she has you regarding Caine's end of the business, and now we have heard from the other party. We are all in agreement on our understanding, I assume?"

Jiro chuckled lightly.

"You don't have to make it sound like a mission for a secret organization, Shida, sweetheart," he said. "But I agree that it is only a matter of time and that I should very much like to see how things play out."

Seito nodded. It would be very interesting to see what would happen next.


	28. A Walk in the Park

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. I hope you enjoy reading chapter twenty-eight as much as I enjoyed writing it!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Walk in the Park

Leaving his uncles behind, Caine led Kyoya towards the aquamarine lake before them. Although his mind was consumed with wondering what Kyoya had been talking to Shino about, he was hesitant to ask directly. It had clearly been a solemn discussion, and he worried that being too straightforward could cause Kyoya to deflect his questions. The black-haired boy was at least as intelligent as he; he didn't want to enter into a battle of wits with such a formidable mind.

"You know, you can swim in that lake," he said aimlessly, distracted. In response, Kyoya stared long and hard at the lake, evidently mulling an important matter over behind his eyes. Caine absently watched his friend's glazed eyes and preoccupied expression and wondered if the boy had heard him.

Kyoya asked, "Have you?"

For an unprecedentedly long moment, Caine had no idea what he was talking about. His brain had gone into power save mode, focusing on introspective functions, and; after all, the question was in response to words he had said without really realizing it. Then, as his mind completed the slow-motion recap of their conversation, he recognized Kyoya was asking if he had ever swam in the lake.

"Swam in the lake? A few times," he answered. "There's a small beach on the other side; it's the kind of thing that's fun for a kid, but not so much when you grow up."

Kyoya nodded sagely. He knew that when Caine had been of the age when swimming in a lake is fun he had still been living in Kyoto and so would not have had the chance to swim here. He must have at least once, if only to satisfy his curiosity and determine what it was like, but he had found the experience not well worth repeating.

"The sea is better," Caine added, thinking of his family's house in Okinawa and remembering all of the pleasant times he had had there.

The two of the strolled down to the lake and started walking along the rough path that encircled it. Caine didn't realize he was sneaking infinitesimally short glances at Kyoya until they reached the bench where they had sat before and Kyoya suddenly stopped.

"Let's sit down for a moment," he said, his voice the particular sort of casual that would have sounded naturally to anyone besides Caine. The silver-haired boy shot him a longer glance (which was when he realized he had been shooting rapid glances at his friend for some time) and obediently sat.

Kyoya sat down heavily and sighed. It was evidently he was carefully pondering the words he was going to use next.

"The last time we sat here, you told me about your time at school in Kyoto. How you were bullied for being "too feminine". Considering that, I consider what I am about to ask you an offensive and, quite frankly, terribly rude question, but, unfortunately, I can't _not_ ask it. The answer is something of great significance to me, something I need to know."

He looked Caine directly in the eyes, his sincerity shining clearly through. Caine was not certain, but he thought he might be holding his breath. That, or the oxygen content of the air had experienced a sudden, unexplained drop.

Kyoya took a deep breath.

"Caine, are you gay?"

A long and loud silence followed his question. Caine simply stared at him, as if he had suddenly begun speaking in Punjabi. He blinked several times, the expression in his eyes blank. Kyoya's heart was gripped by a painfully tight anxiety as he waited. He was about to repeat his question when breathable air returned to the vicinity of Caine's head and he breathed in deeply.

"Yes."

Kyoya carefully put his facial expression and body language on pause and slowly, carefully, released the vise on his heart. Instead, the vise found its way over to Caine's heart, exercising on it an agonizingly similar tension. Now it was Caine's turn to wait, his heart on a knife's edge, for his friend's reaction.

It was not what he had expected.

"Good," said Kyoya.

"What?!" Caine reacted instantaneously, stating his unfiltered thought for the first time since he was a small child. He opened his eyes as wide as they would go, then blinked rapidly a few times, resetting his expression. At the same time, he carefully replaced the mental filter he always kept between his thoughts and words. That done, he resubmitted his reaction.

"I'm sorry? That's an unexpected reaction."

Kyoya watched him react and re-react, a small smile on his face. He looked strangely happy, but it was neither the kind of interest in academics he showed in class nor his amusement at the antics of the host club. If it had been anyone other than Kyoya, Caine would have said it was the kind of fond smile a person wore without even knowing it. But Kyoya wasn't the type of person who wore expressions without being aware of them.

Caine waited for Kyoya to respond, to clarify what he'd said, but the boy showed no sign that he would expand further on what he'd said. The silver-haired boy wasn't about to wait for a response to _that_ sensitive of a question anyway.

"What do you mean _good_?" he insisted, his nerves making him rush his words. "Usually people say "okay", or if they're not okay with it, something like "that's disgusting, you should be ashamed of yourself" or whatever. Does good mean it confirms your expectations, or that you're okay with it, or what?" He was aware he sounded somewhat exasperated, but, he thought, he had a right to be. What kind of an answer was _good_?

"I meant that that was what I hoped you'd say," Kyoya explained. "I admit I suspected it, but I'm glad to hear it confirmed. That will make this easier for me."

Caine narrowed his eyes at him, confused. _Easier for me_? What was that supposed to mean?

Kyoya glanced down at the ground quickly–so quickly Caine would have missed the nervous tick if he hadn't been staring, unblinking, at the black-haired boy. Then he looked Caine right in the eye, his gaze strong and a serious expression his face.

"Ryoka," he said, "to put it bluntly, I am interested in you."

Caine digested his words, noting, with interest, that Kyoya had decided to use his real name.

"I assume by _interested_ , you don't mean you are curious about the facts of my existence," he assessed. "Your research precludes that notion."

"Your assumption is correct," Kyoya replied. "My interest in you is of a far more… _personal_ nature. I have discovered in myself feelings towards you that seem to be… how shall I put it?" He paused, searching for the perfect sentence. " _Beyond the bounds of friendship_."

Caine couldn't help himself, he laughed. It was the same way he had described his feelings for Kyoya to Haruhi on Monday when she had cornered him after Host Club. It was fitting that Kyoya would use the same turn of phrase.

His reaction, however, clearly disturbed Kyoya. The glasses-clad boy paled, looking mildly ill. Caine rushed to explain himself,

"Ah… no. I only meant that it's funny you should choose those words. Do you remember on Monday, when Haruhi called me over to talk to her at the end of Host Club?"

Kyoya, looking mystified as to the relevance of Caine's statement, nodded.

"Well, she has a remarkable intuition, as you already know. She called me over to ask if I had anyone I liked, and those words were the same ones I choose to describe my feelings."

Kyoya's entire body was frozen; he looked as if he was waiting for his heart to beat. Caine understood his telepathy–a plea for the silver-haired boy to take one more step.

"My feelings for you, that is," he added.

He watched Kyoya sag with relief as the stress that had been building up within the black-haired boy slowly bled out. He understood–confession was a hard thing to do.

"Thank the gods," his friend gasped out, finally. Then he laughed, and added, "I don't even believe in the gods, but, all the same, thank the gods."

The two of them laughed together, relieved of their tension. Then Caine, reinvigorated, stood up.

"Come with me," he said, holding out his hand. Kyoya, surprised at his own bravery, took it, and Caine led him to a door at the end of the house. They climbed up a short flight of steps into a restaurant-style kitchen, through a door into a stairwell, and up a longer flight of stairs onto the second floor. There, Caine led him into a room at the corner of the house. The two outer walls of the room were screens, pushed open onto a wraparound balcony. A pleasant light breeze blew in, freshening the air in the room. The other two walls of the room were covered by bookshelves, which themselves were full of so many books it brought joy to Kyoya's heart to see them.

"This is my room," Caine explained. To Kyoya, though, it was obvious: no one else would have quite so many books. The glasses-clad boy scanned the shelves, constant in his quest for good reading material.

"You have an excellent collection," he commented approvingly.

"Seito-chichi and Jiro-oji started it," Caine explained. "They were living here with To-san before the Accident, you know, and they're both fond of books."

Kyoya sunk into thought, remember the accident of which Caine spoke. It had happened before he was born, but its tragic nature coupled with the notoriety of its victims had made people whisper about it long after it had happened. It had been a cold and icy winter day and the four shining stars of the Yabatsukuni family had been returning from a winter onsen trip. They had been driving around a bend in the road when their car was suddenly hit head on by a delivery truck. Yoshihiro, the elder brother, and Kaori, the younger brother's wife, had been killed instantly, and Yoshihiro's wife Sakura had died in the hospital not long after. When Yabatsukuni had finally recovered, he had moved the headquarters of the family business to Kyoto, saying he could no longer stand to live in Tokyo, with its memories of his dead family. Thereafter, the spotlight of society had fallen from Yabatsukuni's older brother onto him, and despite the terrible injuries and even worse emotional scars the accident had left on him, societal consensus was that he had taken up command of the family business impeccably. Kyoya was full of admiration at the story of a younger son who had risen to take over his family's business, as he aspired to do the same someday, if in less distressing circumstances.

"When we moved here, I brought the books they had acquired while in Kyoto, as well as my own acquisitions, with me," Caine had been saying. Kyoya nodded, and continued his inspection of the silver-haired boy's private library.

The sound of footfalls outside the door suddenly disturbed their reverie, and it was disturbed even further by the appearance of Mira at the door behind them.

"Caine! One of the kitchen staff told me they saw you come up here…"

She broke off when she saw the two boys' clasped hands.

"Oh," she said, her voice artificial and awkward, "I'll just… go." She gestured lamely in the direction she'd come.

"No!" exclaimed Kyoya and Caine in unison. When they heard themselves, they cast strained looks at one another, disturbed by their sudden simultaneity, and released their joined hands.

"I was just showing him my room–we were about to go back down anyway," Caine added inelegantly, Kyoya nodding his agreement. Mira didn't look convinced, but she led them back down to the main room in spite of her reservations. The three uncles were still sitting there, side by side; now they were discussing Shino's lecture tour. They looked up together when they heard the three children at the door.

"Welcome back," said Seito calmly, betraying no awareness of what had transpired in the garden. "We made a fresh pot of tea, and there's some gyoza if you want any."

Tea and gyoza sounded good to all three new arrivals, so they made their way into the room and joined the three uncles at the table. Caine had scarcely put a dumpling in his mouth when his sister decided to parrot Tamaki's approach to questions.

"So, are you two going out now?" she asked. Caine choked on his dumpling, Kyoya on his tea, and Jiro took it upon himself to chide the overeager girl.

"Mira, remember, that's not how things are done," he criticized gently. "Generally you are supposed to wait for those in question to tell you when they're ready, instead of suddenly throwing the question in their faces. That can be blinding."

Mira's face rearranged itself into a Tamaki-like sulk and Caine praised whatever god had pushed Jiro to defend them.

"We're not quite at that stage yet," he said, managing somehow to remain calm in the face of her words. "But I certainly hope we'll come to." For his part, Kyoya showed his answer in his uncharacteristically reddened face.

"Okay," Mira replied, satisfied by her twin's response. "But I hope you'll continue to consider me your close sibling," she said to Caine, "and friend," she added to Kyoya.

The two boys nodded. Kyoya had come to realize that, despite, or perhaps because of, her Tamaki-like personality, he could trust her.

Later, when Caine was escorting Kyoya towards the front gate, he asked,  
"What should we do with respect to the Host Club?"

Kyoya mulled it over in his head, then replied, "I don't see that it will be very much of a problem. They can be almost comically imperceptive, so I think we'll have plenty of time to figure it out ourselves before they catch on to it. The only one likely to notice is Haruhi, but she'll keep quiet on our behalf."

Caine nodded, agreeing, and they parted ways, each one possessed of a head full of thoughts of the other.


	29. An Unwelcome Reminder

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Thank you for continuing to read and a special thank you to Shadow Spears, Hikaru Kaoru plus Haruhi and Misa241098 for their reviews. I hope you enjoy chapter twenty-nine!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Last of the A/Ns: Trigger warning for a short incident of violence/bullying.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: An Unwelcome Reminder

Both Kyoya and Caine found themselves struggling to focus on their lessons the following day at school. Before, they had always been pleased to be seated next to someone with whom they felt connected, but now, each wished that they might, at least for a little while, sit apart. It was all too easy to while away their class time not by studying, as they should have done, but by exchanging secret glances at one another. They couldn't even converse normally like they had, neither knowing how they could move to casual topics of shared interest from the words of the day before. So there they sat, neither able to spend their time on class nor truly on each other, the motion of their relationship forced into a pause.

So when it was time for host club, they felt relieved. Here, at least, they would be forced to be separated, and then perhaps they could focus on things other than each other.

Kyoya could see the knowledge of what had happened the night before in Haruhi's eyes the moment she beheld them, but clearly Caine's belief that they could trust her to keep quiet was well-founded, for she only smiled secretively when she saw them arrive together. And his hypothesis concerning the rest of the club held up too, none of the others showing any awareness that anything had changed between the two friends.

"Today is Special Sweet Day!" cried Honey, running up to Caine. Kyoya was fairly certain it was something the golden-haired senpai had made up as an excuse to get new flavors of cake, but he wasn't opposed to it–Honey's happiness was contagious, infecting guests and hosts alike. At his side, Caine smiled down at the cute host, and Kyoya felt his heart skip a beat. That was right, the silver-haired boy had a sweet tooth too, though not one to rival Honey's (no one could rival Honey's sweet tooth). He felt a sudden rush of gratitude to Honey for choosing today as his 'Special Sweet Day', as he called it.

Caine departed Kyoya's side, following Honey to where the boy had arranged a selection of the newest cakes. Behind Kyoya, the doors opened, and the guests arrived for another day of thoughtless flirtation.

Caine sat down with Honey and Mori, glad the child-like host had provided him with an obvious distraction from his thoughts of Kyoya. The cake was excellent; Honey, despite loving any and all sweets, had a discerning palate and had chosen the best of the new cakes created this season. There was a blue-dyed cocoa-free version of red velvet cake, a light as air raspberry chiffon cake, a mouth-watering chocolate lava cake doused heavily in chocolate syrup: he could hardly decide which to eat first. His guests, arriving, were full of suggestions.

"Oh, I think the raspberry cake would be the best," said Ayatome, happy to make a comment unlikely to trip her up.

"That blue cake looks pretty cool," Tsukamari countered, always ready to choose the most avant-garde option.

"Which cake is _your_ favorite, Caine-senpai?" asked Hayakuza shyly.

"Yes," came the darkly-tinted voice of Honome, sending shivers down the spines of all of Caine's guests, and chilling the blood of the host himself. "Which cake _is_ your favorite?"

It was at that moment that Mira arrived at Host Club. She had been detained by a teacher to discuss a few scholarly matters, not knowing her late arrival would spell disaster for her twin. For the moment Mira walked in the door, Caine looked up, partly at the sound of the noise, out of place among the sounds of clinking glasses and forks, and pleasant conversation. But if it had been any other than his sister who entered, he would have immediately looked away, and paid Honome the attention she felt she deserved. Instead, he got to his feet immediately.

"Mira!" he called, giving his twin a wave, "come, have some cake!" Mira didn't have quite as much of a sweet tooth as Caine, but she still enjoyed sweets, and Caine was well aware she would scarcely miss a chance to try a new flavor of cake.

"Caine!" criticized Honome, dropping the honorific in her anger at his actions. " _We_ are your guests, not her! Pay attention!"

"Why would you say that?" Tanaka said in a shocked whisper, and moment later, Caine turned to his angry guest and repeated her words.

"Why would you say that?" he said, his voice as critical as his accuser's. "Mira is a guest of the Host Club just as much as you are."

A furious look flamed onto Honome's face, causing her usually pretty features to contort into a mask made hideous by her anger.

"Why are you so _obsessed_ with her?" she shouted, jumping to her feet, enraged.

There was a loud _crack_ as Honome's hand made contact with Mira's face, but it was not loud enough to drown out Honome's gasp as she realized what she had inadvertently done. The eyes of everyone in the room were glued to where Mira stood between Caine and Honome, having taken the slap meant for Caine across her own face.

"Don't you _ever_ touch him again," said Mira in a truly threatening voice. Kyoya, who had gotten to his feet ready to rush to Caine when he heard the slap, heard the strength of their twin-bond in her voice and a shiver ran down his spine.

Whispers rushed around the host club– _can you believe it, she struck Mira-sama, doesn't she know what family Mira-sama is from?_

The other hosts came together as a unit, a single mission in mind.

"You dared to lay a hand upon a fellow guest," declared Kaoru coldly.

"We're going to have to ask you to leave," added Honey, his voice carrying a rare serious tone.

"If you can't treat your fellow guests with respect, then you don't belong in Host Club," Kyoya said, sealing Honome's banishment. His voice was clear and firm, but beneath the surface, he was shaking with fear at the thought of his beloved friend being injured.

Mori took Honome by the arm to escort her out of the room, but instead, she pulled away from him and fled. Everyone's eyes followed her exit.

"Psh, I can't believe any lady, and especially a guest of ours, would ever hit someone," Hikaru criticized dismissively.

"She's no lady, and certainly no guest of ours," Tamaki added imperiously.

Mira stepped gingerly away from Caine, and finally everyone looked away from the door and at the duo who had been assaulted. Behind Mira, whose face bore a red mark, Caine was hunched, his eyes shut tight and his arms protectively covering his head. Kyoya's stomach descended to depths he had not thought possible as he remembered what Caine had told him about being bullied in Kyoto and he started imagining scenes of cruel classmates hurting the boy. Before Mira could fully reveal her brother to the onlookers, she reached back and gently touched Caine's elbow. Feeling his twin's touch, Caine snapped out of whatever had engulfed his mind and put his arms down, although he still looked unsettled.

"I'm sorry ladies, but I think Caine is done for today," Mira told Caine's guests.

"Is he alright? Are you?" the guests asked. The twins each gave a little nod to appease them, then Caine got up and walked into the dressing room. Mira walked with him, and at the door she gave the room one last once over, then disappeared to join him.

The moment the two were out of the room everyone descended into whispered commentary of what had just happened. Disbelief at Honome's actions, admiration at Mira and the hosts' quick reaction. Kyoya was forcing himself to stay still, to not rush to Caine's side, when he caught Haruhi's eyes. Written in them plainly for him to see was her message. _Hurry up_.

He got up, excusing himself to his guests. He had to go check on the silver-haired boy, he told them, it was his responsibility. They nodded, understanding: they knew he was more the manager of the club than Tamaki was.

Kyoya made his way over to the dressing room Mira had ushered Caine into, opening the door and slipping in. He could hear Mira speaking softly to her brother, and he listened in before approaching them.  
"Do you want me to do anything for you?" she was asking. Kyoya knew the phrase; it had an unspoken _to her_ in the middle.

"No," her twin replied, his voice only a whisper. Kyoya had to strain to hear him. "It's not right to return cruelty and violence with more of the same. And besides, it's not worth it. She'll figure out sooner or later she won't get far if she treats people like that."

The raven-haired boy smiled to hear Caine's words. They showed a wisdom he knew the boy had gotten through painful experience, and he was glad to hear Caine was not to disturbed by his guest's unforgivable rudeness. Although he definitely planned to show Caine's guest the consequences of her actions soon enough–his mind was already plotting his revenge.

"Are you okay?" he asked, making his presence known to the twins.

"Kyoya!" Caine exclaimed, his worried face breaking into a smile. Mira's eyes danced between the two boys, and she got to her feet from where she had been kneeling next to Caine's chair.

"I leave him in your capable hands, Kyoya-san," she said mysteriously, leaving the two alone in the dressing room.

"I'm alright," Caine answered when his twin had gone. "It was just an unwelcome reminder of my past, that's all."

"I'll _never_ let anything like that _ever_ happen in here again," Kyoya vowed. "This is one too many." Caine looked confused, so Kyoya continued. "At the beginning of the year, when Haruhi joined, one of Tamaki's regulars, a girl who was, frankly, obsessed with her own social status, threw Haruhi's bag into the pond and then tried to imply Haruhi was harassing her. It was obviously a lie, of course, so we removed her from the club, and I thought that that _taint_ had been removed. It seems I was wrong."

"Honestly, it's not that surprising," Caine replied. "There are always going to be people out there, regardless of their social standing, who think the world revolves around them. Who expect to be paid the most attention by anyone around them. I only reacted the way I did because I… had a flashback to Kyoto."

Kyoya made his way across the room and put his hand comfortingly on his friend's shoulder. Sighing, Caine reached up and cover the glasses-clad boy's hand with his own. It was warm, and Kyoya felt Caine might be comforting him more than he was comforting the silver-haired boy.

"That's behind you now," he said simply.

"I know," Caine responded, "but still, thank you."

They were sitting there in silence when the door slammed open and the voice of an overly loud blond boy could be heard through the changing room curtain.

"Caine! Are you okay!" he cried, anguished. Caine and Kyoya sprang apart, which is to say they removed their hands from Caine's shoulder and Kyoya shifted away a few inches.

"Yes, Tamaki, I'm fine," Caine answered, rising from his chair as the enthusiastic host burst through the curtain.

"Daddy was so worried!"

Caine and Kyoya rolled their eyes simultaneously. They heard the door open again and, in the distance, Haruhi's eyes rolling along with theirs.

"Nothing to worry about," Caine assured Tamaki. "It was just a bit of a shock."

Tamaki didn't look convinced, but, not wanting to press Caine further, and, perhaps, motivated by the arrival of Haruhi beside him, he left the silver-haired boy alone. Next through the curtain came Honey and Mori, Honey repeating the message of concern and Mori bearing a consoling piece of cake. Even the twins appeared, commenting unanimously that they were "disgusted by that girl", and that "as long as Caine was okay, that was good".

Caine looked fondly at the assembled hosts, gladdened by their display of caring, and quickly came to a decision.


	30. A Revelation

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Thanks for continuing to read and a special thanks to Hikaru Kaoru plus Haruhi for last chapter's review. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Thirty: A Revelation

"It seems that it is time for you to know," Caine said, his voice serious. The hosts around him, distracted by each other's company, turned their focus simultaneously back to him, wondering what he would say next.

"I have been keeping a secret from you, and this show of companionship has convinced me I need no longer," he continued. "It concerns my real name: it is not Caine, but Yabatsukuni Ryoka."

The hosts erupted into pronounced and vocal shock at Caine's revelation, or, rather Tamaki did. His over-energetic nature covered over any subdued reaction in the rest of the hosts.

"You're a Yabatsukuni!" His amethyst eyes were wider than Caine thought a person's could naturally stretch. His mind thoroughly blown, he gasped, "Wait, does that mean you're related to Mira-sama!?"

"You didn't know, Boss?" said Kaoru, sounding apathetic, as he usually did.

"Mira-sama is Caine's twin sister," Hikaru explained, his tone mirroring his twin's.

Kyoya, Caine, and Haruhi glanced at the two in surprise. They weren't usually the ones to figure out a secret–they had been late to finding out Haruhi's gender, and their insularity typically prevented them from getting involved in others' affairs.

"How long have you known?" Caine asked. He had expected at this moment to find his voice shaking with nerves, but instead it came out calmly curious. Perhaps he wasn't as worried that their opinion of him would diminish after all.

"We recognized you the day you came in," the twins chorused. "We met when we were young, you know, and we wouldn't forget another pair of high-status twins."

Caine narrowed his eyes. Now that he thought about it, he did remember seeing the unique ginger color of the twins' hair somewhere before. Was it that time in Osaka? He wasn't sure, but it made sense. And he and Mira had been almost as insular themselves before the bullying had gotten out of hand. Of course the twins would mark another example of their own situation.

"You kept it a secret," he said, tacitly voicing the attached questioning of _why_.

The twins gave him a simultaneous shrug.

"You seemed to want to keep it a secret," Kaoru said.

"You were going by a different name," Hikaru added.

"So we decided we'd wait for you to tell us when you felt comfortable," they finished together.

Caine nodded.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, bowing. The twins responded by simply shrugging again: to them, it had been no great feat to keep silent.

"Same here," said Mori, and Caine turned to the tall man and his childlike friend, surprised a second time.

"We saw you and Mira at a karate tournament a while ago," Honey explained, his usual bubbly voice subdued by the gravity of the situation. The rest of the host club murmured to themselves as they remembered, with some difficulty, that the adorable boy was secretly a karate prodigy.

"Mira does karate!" Tamaki cried, aghast. The other hosts collectively shot him a disdainful look, and even Honey's effervescent voice was slightly cutting when he said, "No, she was watching."

Tamaki slumped to the ground at Honey's criticism, more powerful from the boy Lolita, who was usually full of admiration and compliments. The other hosts ignored him, preferring instead to hear Honey's story.

"You were pretty good, Caine!" Honey praised, and coming from Honey, it meant a lot.

"Mm," Mori agreed. It seemed he had been there watching Honey compete as well.

"Thanks, but I'll never be as good you, Honey-senpai," Caine replied.

The diminutive senpai brushed the flattery away, continuing with his story.  
"The rest is pretty much the same as Hika-chan and Kao-chan," he explained. "We thought if you wanted to hide who you were, and were willing to change your name to do so, we should respect your wishes."

Caine bowed and thanked them as well, though he suspected it was only Honey who had had to hold his tongue; Mori was naturally taciturn enough to hide anything.

"So it was only _me_ who didn't know!?" Tamaki wept, his face sunken in depression.

"Typical of you, Boss," the twins chorused, the disapproving looks on their faces making it clear what they thought of Tamaki's airheadedness. But the pendulum of Tamaki's emotions was already swinging, and he burst out,  
"I'm so happy you decided to tell us!" he exclaimed, squeezing Caine as tightly as he had the day Caine had expressed his willingness to join the Host Club. For the second time in as many days, Caine found himself oxygen-deprived, although now for a vastly different reason.

"Tamaki-senpai, you're suffocating him," Haruhi chided.

Releasing his grip on the silver-haired boy minutely (just enough that Caine gasped in a lungful of fresh air), Tamaki turned critically on the brunette host.

"Don't tell Daddy even _you_ knew," he sobbed, disconsolate.

Again he was subjected to the collectively disdainful look of his fellow hosts, and he shrank under their gaze.  
"Of course Haruhi knew," Kyoya replied disparagingly, "she's the most sensible one in this entire club." Haruhi tilted her head, acknowledging the truth of the commendation. For a split second, Tamaki sank even further into his dejected state, but the amethyst-eyed boy could never be in low spirits for long. As quick as a lightning strike, his eyes returned to their normal sparkling state, and he hugged Caine tightly again, this time recognizing the dangers and being careful not to cut off the silver-haired boy's airflow. Then, just as quickly, a sudden thought struck him, and his face was as dark as thunder once more.  
"I… wanted to matchmake you with Mira-sama," he mourned in a dramatic whisper. "I… said I thought you were in love with her. Your own twin sister."

"It _was_ pretty funny," Caine admitted. He could see the blond putting together puzzle pieces slowly in his head. Why he was so concerned what Mira would think of him being in Host Club, why he seemed to get along so well with her, even why they looked so similar.

"Of course we'll keep this a secret for you," the princely host promised earnestly. "We've kept Haruhi's secret, so it should be easy!"

Caine wasn't sure how good the over-enthusiastic host was at keeping secrets, but Tamaki had at least one success to his name, so he nodded and thanked the boy.

Later, when they were leaving, Kyoya came over to talk to his friend.  
"Well, that was unexpected," he said.

Caine nodded. "The time seemed right," he replied.

"I'm glad you decided to do it," Kyoya added. "Honestly, though, I'm not completely happy about it." He brushed his friend's fingers with his own. "I guess I wanted to keep your secret to myself a little while longer."

Caine smiled, his heart warming to the black-haired boy.

"Don't worry, Kyo," he said, chancing a nickname, "you still have my more important secret all to yourself."

Kyoya blushed, embarrassed by the lurch his heart gave at Caine's nickname.

"As you have mine, Ryo," he said, returning the favor.

The two boys, heart in heart if not hand in hand, passed out through the doors of Host Club and back into the wider world.


	31. Homosexual Supporting Cast

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Thank you to everyone who continues to read this, especially to Shadow Spears, sarahgri99, and Hikaru Kaoru plus Haruhi who reviewed last chapter. I hope you will continue to enjoy.

Now, here's chapter 31. I hope you like reading this chapter–I had a lot of fun writing it! Bring on the secrets.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

One Last A/N: Trigger warning for mentions of a suicide attempt.

Chapter Thirty-One: Homosexual Supporting Cast

When Caine made his way into Host Club a few days later, he noticed that the hosts were all crowded at the far side of the room. Wondering what they were so fascinated by, he strolled over to join them, and that was when he saw that that which drew their attention was none other than the Host Club's self-proclaimed king.

The blond host was evidently deep in a daydream, his chin resting on his hand, his eyes mere blurs. He posed meditatively in his chair, all but drooling over whatever vision was dancing its way through his thoughts. Caine was wary of whatever he was imagining, knowing full well the extreme range of Tamaki's imagination and the strange ways he directed it.

"What's with him?" he asked his black-haired friend, aware Kyoya was the best source of knowledge, no matter the situation.  
"I'm sure you've noticed, as anyone who is not either blind or a host club client bent on deceiving herself, that Tamaki here has feelings for our lovely crossdressing Haruhi," Kyoya explained. Caine nodded, as he was neither blind nor self-deceiving, and Kyoya continued.

"The physical exams are soon to take place, and Tamaki imagines that when Haruhi is ultimately revealed as a girl as a result of the exams, he will be able to sweep her off her feet."

"Ah, so he is fantasizing," Caine commented.

Kyoya chuckled under his breath. He was pleased his silver-haired companion had followed his explanation so closely and so correctly, proceeding to humorously summarize the fallacy of Tamaki's fanciful and unrealistic vision.

"But I had forgotten the physical exams were coming up," Caine added, pensive. "I suppose they'll bring in a batch of doctors from one of your hospitals, right?"

Kyoya felt a pang of happiness at hearing Caine describe them as your hospitals instead of your family's hospitals. He dismissed it as irrelevant–they would be his hospitals someday, if he had anything to say about it–and nodded, confirming Caine's suspicion.

"I've always found it kind of irritating how the doctors pander to rich people," Caine said, a slightly disgusted tone in his voice. "But I suppose it's better than being ignored."

Kyoya started to think about it, but then realized there was something more important he should address.

"The Host Club typically puts on a little bit of a show for the girls," he mentioned. "It's a rare time when the school approves of shirtlessness, so…"

Caine went deathly pale, and Kyoya was about to ask him why, but before he could, the loudly interrupting voice of Tamaki cut through their conversation.

"Jealous, Hikaru?" he asked, evidently responding to something the ginger-haired twin had said. "It's all part of the plan. You've been wasting your time being envious, while I've determined what the story is really about. This is a romance comedy anime, and Haruhi and I are the destined couple."

The club members looked immensely doubtful, with the notable exception of Honey, who simply looked curious as to what Tamaki would say next.

"Okay then, what does that make us?" asked the twins in unison, choosing to play along with Tamaki's strange proclamation.

"You? Why, you are the homosexual supporting cast, of course."

Caine shot a hyper-fast worried glance at Kyoya, his fingers intangibly grazing those of his glasses-clad friend. Just as quickly, Kyoya returned the glance, his eyes assuring Caine that Tamaki could not possibly know about their connection, but was spouting strangely vivid dreams drawn straight from shojo manga.

Meanwhile, Tamaki had conjured up a stick seemingly from nowhere and was marking off a line on the floor to separate him from them, directing them they had better stay on that side of the line. Naturally, no one took him seriously. Caine looked down at the line, wondering briefly how a line could be drawn on a tile floor using a stick. There wasn't an indentation, and he wasn't using chalk… but he determined it didn't matter. With Tamaki, anything could happen.

"You realize if Haruhi is found out as a girl, she won't be able to be in Host Club, right?" Honey, Hikaru and Kaoru informed the violet-eyed host.

It was clear Tamaki had not realized this all-too-obvious fact by the way the color drained out of his face, his hair, and even his clothes. Caine narrowed his eyes, wondering how the over-emotional host's feelings could influence his clothes, but gave up, recognizing one could never predict the innumerable quirks that seemed to affect every part of Tamaki's life.

The other hosts continued speaking, ignoring Tamaki's inflated distress.

"I bet Haru-chan would be even cuter as a girl," Honey gushed, complimenting the female host.

"There were probably a lot of boys who had crushes on her in middle school," added Hikaru.

Kyoya stepped up to provide the facts to support Hikaru's supposition.

"My data states that Haruhi received monthly love confessions," he commented blandly.

"Tamaki-senpai wouldn't have a chance," Hikaru declared, bolstered by Kyoya's supporting evidence.

The twins shared identical smirks.

"But we would, since we're in the same class," Kaoru slyly said.

Huge tears, dramatic yet strangely as equally devoid of color as the rest of Tamaki, formed in the formerly blond host's eyes as he grasped the implications behind their words. Tamaki choked out a sob.

"Hey guys," said Haruhi, arriving late yet at the critical moment.

A dramatic plan, spearheaded by Tamaki and managed by Kyoya, began to get underway for the concealment of Haruhi's true gender during the physical exams. Caine settled himself out of the way by Haruhi, not really wanting to participate. The crossdressing host didn't seem to care that her secret could be revealed, only worrying she might not be able to pay back some kind of debt she seemed to owe the Host Club. Mori offered up fancy tuna as motivation to convince Haruhi not to want her secret unveiled, and Caine decided he had better not offer Haruhi the chance to eat some outside of Host Club because of the risk Tamaki might experience sudden heart failure at his words. The way it motivated the brown-haired young woman suggested to him that she was only looking for an excuse so she could remain critical of Host Club yet continue to participate in it. He understood her predicament, both wanting to be a part of the uniquely peculiar society but understanding why one might wish to deny having such a desire.

After Tamaki had drawn up the elaborate (and, to Caine's mind, unlikely to be successful) plans, Caine drew Kyoya to the side, wanting to continue the discussion they had been having when Tamaki interrupted them.

"You said something about shirtlessness before, right?" he asked, his voice carefully low.

Kyoya gave him an appraising look out of the side of his eyes, no doubt remembering the pallor he had displayed before at the understanding of what kind of 'show' the Host Club would put on.

"It's something the guests are always clamoring for, of course," explained Kyoya, "and the occasion of the physical exams provides justification enough." Anticipating his friend's reaction, he said, "you don't like going shirtless, do you?"

Caine looked determinedly at the ground, blushing. Kyoya absently registered he found the change in coloration both charming and nerve-wracking at the same time; something that threatened to infect him with the same blush. He focused to control his emotions and succeeding in retaining his complexion blush-free. In a moment, Caine had done the same, and returned his gaze to a normal height to deliver his reply.

"I'm uncomfortable with it, yes," he responded.

Kyoya reflected back on all of the attires he had seen Caine wearing. He hadn't realized it before, but he suddenly did now–he had never seen Caine without long sleeves. He mentioned as much to the boy now, a query as to why that was the case implied in his words.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to show off my chest and shoulders," the silver-haired boy replied somewhat cryptically. Kyoya wanted to pry further, but it didn't seem as if Caine was going to disclose any more, and besides, Tamaki was suddenly at his side, pressing him to repeat the details of the plan, rightly worried it wouldn't work quite as hoped. Caine took the moment to get away, and Kyoya wondered what he could still be hiding.

The next day Operation Keep Haruhi's Gender a Secret went into full force. Caine watched, humored, as the twins humiliated Tamaki by convincing him he could disguise himself as Haruhi when his true identity would be patently obvious to any viewer. Then Kyoya stepped in, divulging the truth that all of the doctors and nurses at the physical exam were Otori hospital staff. His revenge, he said, for being called supporting cast. He shot Caine a sly glance when he said he didn't consider himself supporting cast, homosexual or not, and Caine smirked back a recognition of the acknowledgement of their secret tie.

Luckily, Caine didn't run into any problems because of his reluctance to remove his shirt–the removal of Honome's brash influence on his guests had made them more willing to allow for his recalcitrance, and he rolled up his sleeves to the elbow to afford them some show of extra skin.

Then Haruhi was spirited away to a special 'boy's clinic' and Caine vanished behind his own curtain to have his chest measured.

He removed his white uniform button-up and the black T-shirt he always wore to conceal what lay beneath. The doctor who was to take his measurements, an accomplished-looking middle-aged woman, gasped when she saw what the shirt had hidden, but she was a professional, so she quickly recovered, asking him politely to if he would raise his arms, please. He complied, and she strung the tape measure around his chest, then removed it and went to write down her result. He had just picked up his shirt to replace it when he heard the soft sound of the curtain being pushed to the side and the light tread he knew belonged to his glasses-wearing friend behind him.

Kyoya's reaction was not so much a gasp as a pronounced silence, but Caine heard it all the same, and turned, wanting to see how the reaction would manifest itself on his friend's face.

It was an expression Kyoya had worn few, if any times before–that of intense shock. His eyes traced up and down Caine's chest and upper arms, which were decorated thoroughly and artistically with numerous tattoos. On anyone but Caine, he thought, the effect of so much ink would be harshly threatening. Only now did he truly understand the boy's words from before: it wouldn't be appropriate for me to show off my chest and shoulders. It had seemed a strange choice of words then, but now he comprehended completely–although tattoos were gradually starting to becoming accepted in Japan, they were still strongly associated with the yakuza, and as such, Caine's display could be easily be interpreted as a forceful and dangerous message.

Eyes eagerly taking in the show before him, the glasses-clad boy noted every separate element: before Caine had turned he had been staring at the phoenix rising from flames that decorated Caine's upper back, as well as the lone koi swimming in the stream at the bottom of his back and the artistic pattern created from a mix of flowers, gears and the vines weaving them together that decorated the space between the phoenix and koi. Now that the silver-haired boy had turned to face him, he was studying the pieces that decorated his chest: the fierce Asian dragon that graced his upper chest and the blossoming cherry tree that curved from the lower left part of his abdomen up towards the point in the center of the canvas where the boy's rib cage ended and his stomach began. He paused a moment to read the poem etched into the lower right side of Caine's abdomen, noting the insightful phrases comparing inner strength to an iceberg, and correctly concluded the poem must have been composed by the boy on which it was written. His eyes took in the ink on Caine's shoulders: on his left, a siamese cat, on his right, a stylized combination of the sun and moon. All of the tattoos had clearly been executed by the same extraordinarily accomplished hand, and Kyoya wondered absently who their designer had been.

Eventually, the charcoal eyes landed where they had been destined to find themselves the moment Caine turned to face his friend: his scar. A terribly vivid reminder of the moment he had been at his most vulnerable, of the worst hopelessness he had been drowned by, the wound ran from the crest of his left collarbone, over the hollow of his throat and down to a point halfway across the upper part of the right half of his chest. As Kyoya gazed at it, unable to tear his eyes away, he noticed the dragon had been designed to interact with it, to complete it. A snarling mouth, not violent but proudly declaring its owner's identity to the word, spoke mere inches from the scar's beginning, while the dragon's front claws paraded themselves as the cause of the mark, sharply ready to cut the silver-haired boy open as he had once done himself. He understood that Caine had chosen in his self-adornment to be unashamed by his past, to use his scar to proclaim his recovery from his suicide attempt instead of hiding what others might have viewed as a reminder of his humiliation.

Caine waited patiently as Kyoya inspected every piece of his gallery, wondering what his friend's reaction would be. When it came, it was once again a much different response than he had expected. Instead of commenting on the quality of the art (the appreciation of which could be clearly enough seen in his eyes), he chose a different subject.

Kyoya sighed deeply. "I consider myself accomplished at research," he began, surprising and confusing Caine, "but for some reason I seem to know absolutely nothing about you."

"Is that bad?" Caine asked, one silver eyebrow raised.

"Well, it is vexing to have my abilities frustrated so completely," Kyoya said, choosing his words carefully. "At the same time; however, I'm glad I have to truly get to know you to find out every little thing. If someone as skilled at research as I am doesn't know these things, it probably means almost no one else does either. So they stay secrets between you and I."

Caine smiled fondly at his friend. It might not have been the reply he expected, but with Kyoya it never was; instead, it was something much more interesting.

"Good," he said, borrowing Kyoya's manner of reply. Kyoya smiled, realizing what he was doing, and Caine replaced his shirt, concealing once again his secret.

Fully dressed once again, Caine reached out to lace his fingers through Kyoya's, squeezed the boy's hand briefly, then let go, motioning that the two of them had better join the others.

They were walking down the hallway with the rest of the club when they heard a commotion behind them. Apparently there was a pervert pretending to be a doctor, and he had tried to grab one of the girls. Naturally, she was distraught, and the other girls were trying to mix their investigative interest liberally with concern to console her.

"Hm, just as I thought," said Kyoya pensively, scratching his chin in thought. Caine had noticed him give a strange look to one of the doctors earlier, and he assumed that this was the cause. Kyoya explained how he had seen a man in a white coat who he didn't recognize as one of the Otori doctors, and the twins immediately chided him for not mentioning it sooner. Kyoya assured them it would be fine, but his opinion immediately changed when the hosts heard the girl saying the fake doctor had gone towards the special 'boy's clinic'.

"Haruhi!" they exclaimed in unison, freezing in shock and then dashing as fast as they could to save their princess. Caine was just as worried as the rest; a pervert was a serious matter, after all.

They arrived just in time, Tamaki aiming a kick to the man's head that hit him with so much force that he cracked the wall when he was slammed against it. The Host Club came together as one to explain threateningly to the man that not only did they have both looks and money, but they were sworn to protect the innocent against any form of awfulness the world could present.

The man cowered and begged for his life, then proceeded to tell them a pitiful story that brought tears to Tamaki's eyes and ended up making the club decide to help him. Kyoya gave him a map and he left, off to seek his daughter.

"I suppose I should have known that the Host Club craziness would even infect the physical exam," Caine said, amused, to Kyoya as the two were leaving.

"At least it ended with everyone in good health," the glasses-clad boy rejoined, and thus was the end of another day of Host Club.


	32. Jealousy, Thy Name is Renge

A/N: Don't own Ouran High School Host Club. Thanks again to my loyal review crew: Shadow Spears, Hikaru Kaoru plus Haruhi, and sarahgri99. I hope everyone likes this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it. See you next week!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Jealousy, Thy Name is Renge

That Wednesday, when Caine arrived at host club he discovered it was another one of Tamaki's favorite dress-up days: everyone was arrayed in fine new kimonos. The Hitachiin brothers proudly announced the apparel had been made by their mother, so it was sure to be the finest Japan could offer. They were already dressed in a pair of matching electric blue kimonos decorated with pale green, gold and rose-colored flowers, the royal purple edges of their under-kimonos peaking out around their necklines. Honey, when Caine saw him, was dressed in a pale green kimono covered over by an oversized cherry-blossom pink haori decorated with pale yellow and blue flowers. His guardian wore his characteristic dark blue kimono, his belt coordinated pink so he would match his beloved friend.

"Caine! There's one for you too!" exclaimed Tamaki. The blond was as stunning as he usually worked to be, his dark brown and light tan patterned kimono laid open all the way to the royal purple belt he had worn to match his eyes. Over it he had draped an elegant haori, beautifully burning with the colors of the sunset. Behind him, Kyoya, dressed demurely in dark brown belted in light yellow, held up the article of clothing Tamaki's words promised. Again, the twins didn't disappoint, presenting a scarlet kimono patterned in pale snowflakes and belted in wintry white. Caine took the kimono and retired to the dressing room, where he saw Haruhi had had the same idea. Her kimono was faded green patterned with butterflies and her haori was pale purple patterned with pink flowers. Seeing it, Caine had to admit the twins had made excellent color choices. He helpfully lent a hand and arranged her comb in her short hair, she returned the favor by attaching the thin ponytail extension he'd been given to the end of his silver locks.

"Ah, Haruhi, you look so cute!" Tamaki raved as soon as the two hosts emerged from the secondary room. For Kyoya's part, Caine could see the boy's dark eyes slowly tracing up and down the fabric he wore and noted happily the inadvertent light blush that crept into Kyoya's cheeks when he caught his silver-haired friend watching his gaze.

The hosts sat down and began to welcome their guests. Today, Caine sat with Kyoya, complimenting him on his penmanship when the host matched his constant notebook scribbling with the traditional Japanese feel, writing away using stylized calligraphy.

"I can't believe how amazing you look in that kimono," said a guest Caine didn't recognize, and the two boys inadvertently synchronized their words, both chorusing, "Thank you."

What the girls were really after, it seemed, was the photobooks Kyoya had pasted together of his hidden camera shots, but they were out of luck, Kyoya lamenting he hadn't been able to get any photos of better quality.

"What are you planning to do?" Caine asked Kyoya, but the pair of them were distracted from his question by a disagreement between Haruhi and the twins, leading, somehow, to the brown-haired crossdresser receiving a pile of sweets from the ever-overeager Tamaki. The host twirled around, ranting on something about "refused overtures", when suddenly Caine noticed a honey-haired girl lurking by the door. She looked a little suspicious, so he nudged Kyoya gently with his elbow, bringing her to the shadow king's attention.

At that same moment, Tamaki was distracted from his constant attempts at wooing Haruhi as he, too, saw the girl hovering at the entrance. The rest of the hosts also looked, their attention draw by Tamaki's sudden silence, and the twins were quick to remark on the new client, setting out to be the first to woo her. Naturally, the princely-style host was not to be outdone and joined in the welcome, but to the surprise of everyone present, none of the overtures seemed to work.

"Faker!" she cried, striking Tamaki right to the heart. She continued her message of disdain, dismantling the blond boy over his policy of treating all guests equally well, which she saw as discourteously promiscuous, and ended up electrocuting the poor host with her words.

Unsurprisingly, Kyoya began to question her, and that was where the trouble began.

"Kyoya!" she cried with delight, racing up (and stepping on the fallen Tamaki on her way) to embrace the glasses-clad host. "You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to meeting you!"

Caine's blood boiled and his vision misted in red. At his sides, his hands clenched themselves unconsciously into fists, and he forced himself to stay still, not trusting that any move could end in his shoving the unidentified girl away from his beloved friend with all of his strength. _Get away from my Kyo!_ He wanted to shout, but he held his tongue, judging it inappropriate in a public situation. _Deep breaths_ , he told himself, managing to keep his intense instinctive reaction under control and his expression deceptively unaffected.

Somehow, a few moments later, he found himself standing with the other hosts, listening to the girl, who introduced herself as Houshakuji Renge, describe herself as Kyoya's fiancée. She described a story of love at first sight that had everyone, Caine included, convinced she must have the wrong person. Despite this obvious fact, however, she remained insistent that it was Kyoya who was her heart's one desire. Finally, the truth came out–Kyoya merely looked like a character from a dating game she was obsessed with, and she was certain he was the real life version of this "Miyabi".

"I've never even met her before," Kyoya told them, and the temperature of Caine's internal organs stepped down a few notches.

For some reason, Renge, on discovering Kyoya was the host club's manager, decided she would become the lady manager, and Renge's inability to take no for an answer, combined with her family's high status, caused the black-haired host to concede the point. Beaming, Renge announced she would be happy to begin working with them, and, to Caine's great relief, left the somewhat shellshocked hosts behind.

"I don't like her," said Caine with annoyance as he and Kyoya changed back into normal clothes in the dressing room. His face set in a sulk, he untied Kyoya's belt, which had been tied behind the glasses-clad boy's back, and turned so Kyoya could do the same for him. "I realize the whole "she's your fiancée" thing is her delusion, but it still makes me unreasonably irritated to watch her ingratiate herself with the Host Club."

"Bear with her," Kyoya chastised calmly, running his hands through Caine's silver tresses as he removed the ponytail extension. Caine sighed, the touch did help to relax him from his irritation at Renge. "Her family is an important client of ours."

"I understand," the silver-haired boy replied, trying not to continue sulking, "but I wish her fiancée delusion could be with one of the other hosts, not you. Tamaki, say. He would probably welcome it."

Kyoya gently took his shoulders and turned Caine to face him, looking deep into the boy's pale blue-grey eyes.

"What is it?" he asked mildly.

Caine looked at the floor and ground his teeth, refusing to meet his friend's eyes.

Kyoya's cool, slender fingers reached out and delicately took hold of Caine's chin, directing his face back up so their eyes met.

"Are you jealous?" he asked, the expression on Caine's face answer enough. "Don't be. I'm not interested in her, only you."

Then, without warning, he stretched forward and kissed Caine on the lips.

The moment their lips made contact, the fuses and circuits of Caine's brain were instantly fried. His neurons were unable to think, so focused were they on keeping him standing upright and able to kiss back. Those cells typically reserved for higher-order functions were stuck on loop, repeating the obvious– _He's Kissing Me!_ –again and again. He could feel the soft and immeasurably pleasurable sensation of Kyoya's lips pressed against his own, sense how at this intimately close distance the other boy's breaths in and out were mixed with his own. His eyes had automatically closed at the contact, but he could tell how close the black-haired boy was from the warm touch of the boy's nose against his own. The proximity was causing his heart to beat at a dangerously high speed. That, or it was beating so fast it had stopped; he wasn't sure.

After what seemed like both an eternity and one of Caine's impossibly fast heartbeats, Kyoya pulled away. His eyes searching into the pale ones opposite him, he asked, "Okay?" Caine, who felt sure he wouldn't be able to manage any reaction other than glazed staring, surprised himself by producing a short nod. Seeing it, Kyoya gave him a small happy smile, and, finishing his clothing transition, left the silver-haired boy standing motionless in the dressing room.

So when, the next day, Renge presented Kyoya with cookies she'd made herself, gushing over the response she imagined he'd give (it was what her "Miyabi" would say), Caine didn't feel a thing. She could cozy up to him as much as she wanted, he thought, but she'd never have him. Kyoya was his. Besides, she couldn't cook–Mori actually actively discouraged Honey from eating them, calling them "bad for him".

Haruhi took the cookies, deciding to try them for herself, and a few moments later the host club was in chaos, Tamaki ranting and raving over how Hikaru and Kaoru had taken advantage of his Renge-induced depression to "get closer" to Haruhi. Renge watched from the side, and, suddenly, proclaimed that the hosts were too mild.

 _Too mild_ , Caine thought, _I'd never think of Tamaki as mild_. But somehow, she had declared their current personalities wouldn't attract guests much longer, and she set about to give them new "dark sides".

"You'll be the sweet-faced gangster!" she directed Honey, who blanched at the idea.

"Does she know about his karate prowess?" Caine asked Kyoya under his breath. The host raised one eyebrow, considering the notion. Mori, next, was proclaimed Honey's childhood friend and obedient lackey, to which Caine remarked that, while disparagingly phrased, it wasn't actually that far from the truth. The lady manager's other "dark sides", however, were less connected to reality: she announced the twins would be basketball players enslaved in their own world, Haruhi would be a constantly-bullied honor student, and Tamaki would play the lonesome prince.

"Tamaki, lonesome?" Caine continued muttering at his glasses-clad friend. "Has she _met_ him? And do Hikaru and Kaoru even _play_ basketball?"

Kyoya made a disaffected noise. "I'm sure they know how, at least."

But it seemed their undertone conversation had caught the attention of the honey-haired blonde. She turned on the two of them, pronouncing her last sentence.

"You!" she called, pointing at Caine, "You'll be the dismissive foreigner. Oh, and Kyoya, just keep being the sweet gentleman you always are."

"Dismissive foreigner?" Caine mumbled.

"Hey, she's half-right," Kyoya whisper-joked. Caine coughed out a little laugh, forcing his face into an appropriate reaction when Renge shot him a critical look, thinking he was laughing at her. In the corner, Tamaki, who had flattened on first hearing of his new role, began to grow into it, creating new poses he thought would best fit a "lonesome prince", and it became apparent that the host club was going ahead with the new "dark sides".

Somehow, not long after, the hosts found themselves the star of a new set of mini-films, shot especially to capture their freshly-created "dark sides". The twins displayed yet more of their brotherly love in an accident at the basketball court; Tamaki envied their close bond while standing, stereotypically, in the rain.

"I hate that people adore me for something so shallow as looks," he recited, and Caine held back a laugh, so opposite the line was to the golden-haired host's true character.

Next, Haruhi was on the run, being bullied by Honey and Mori. But Honey couldn't make the bad-boy image stick, and barely made it through his lines before breaking down crying and hugging Haruhi, begging for her forgiveness. Naturally, Renge was furious, and took a break to chat with the crew, who, it seemed, she had flown in from Hollywood, before starting up again with Haruhi and Caine's shared scene. Mercifully, it was short.

"Caine-senpai, won't you help me?" Haruhi pleaded pitifully. "Those thugs, they're after me." She glanced behind her nervously, there stood two harsh-looking Ouran students who Renge had press-ganged into her film.

"Hmph," Caine said, mentally directing the scoff towards Renge to make it more realistic. "Not my problem." As ordered, he stalked away, acting as high-and-mighty as he could. It didn't feel normal, but, then again, he hadn't expected anything Renge told him to do to be anything but strange. At least his aloof character meant he didn't have much screen time.

The scene moved on as Renge forced the unwitting boys she had decided would be yakuza into the action. Suddenly, however, one of the students became angry with her pushiness and shoved her away from him, directly into a pile of film equipment. Haruhi, ever the quick thinker, blocked the falling debris with her back, and took the occasion to chide Renge for how shallowly she saw the world, not taking the opportunity to get to know people. Seeing the tear in Haruhi's eye (which, it transpired, was from a dislodged contact), Tamaki rushed in to save her, grabbing one of the pseudo-thugs by the collar. Luckily, Haruhi stopped him, explaining the situation, and Renge cheered at Haruhi's masterful resolution of the situation, calling it "the perfect final scene". Standing beside Kyoya, Caine saw the boy's dark brown eyes narrow, but was unprepared for what came next–the shadow king smashing the lens of a camera with a rock, proclaiming he couldn't allow images of a club member doing something violent to be captured.

With that, Renge's image of her "fiancé" shattered, and she sank to her knees. Kneeling beside her, Haruhi explained that realizing that Kyoya wasn't Miyabi gave her the opportunity to actually get to know him, and Renge's affections were transferred to the crossdresser on the spot.

After that, Kyoya's lamentation about bad quality hidden camera shots was forgotten as the sales of the new "Dark Sides" DVD skyrocketed. No doubt Kyoya had been planning the whole thing from the very beginning, scheming to use Renge for her penchant for summoning Hollywood film crews to make the Host Club some extra money. For his part, Caine didn't mind; after all, he had gotten some extra benefits out of their new lady manager's presence too.


	33. A Saturday Engagement

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Thanks to Hikaru Kaoru plus Haruhi and sarahgri99 for their reviews of last chapter. Thanks to everyone who continues to read and I hope you like chapter thirty-three!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Thirty-Three: A Saturday Engagement

On Friday, when the last of the guests had bid adieu to the boys (and girl) of host club, Caine approached Kyoya, out of earshot of their fellow hosts.

"Hey, are you busy tomorrow?" he asked, clearly putting some effort into keeping his words casual. Intrigued, Kyoya inspected him. He couldn't tell anything different about his friend, but, then again, he had recently come to the conclusion that Caine was a blind spot where his powers of superior information failed.

"Not particularly," he replied.

The silver-haired boy grinned, leaning closer.

"Want to go out on a date?" he said slyly. Kyoya's heart accelerated, and he forced himself to calm down. It made sense that Caine should be asking him out, after all, they had confessed their feelings to each other the previous weekend, and he knew from his research that dates usually were next in the logical progression of events. Still, he couldn't help the nervousness he felt. Of course he wanted to go on a date with Caine, but… When he thought about it, he couldn't quite discover why it was that he was feeling anxious, however. It wasn't as if he had to worry over whether or not Caine had feelings for him–the silver-haired boy had made that inescapably clear. And he shouldn't need to worry about what might happen if they were alone together, since they had shared secluded time before without incident. This, he realized, must be what people spoke of when they talked about having butterflies in their stomachs.

Taking his silence as a positive answer, Caine continued, "A production company that's a part of our group is having a premier of their new film, and I thought you might want to come with me."

Interested, Kyoya asked, "What's the film about?" Mentally, he had to force himself not to be surprised at Caine's referring to the famed Yabatsukuni Group so casually–of course he would, being as he was its future owner.

Caine smiled at this verbal confirmation that Kyoya wanted to go. "It's called _Cyber Ashes_ ," he revealed, explaining, "it's science fiction, a thriller about a future where computer automation controls most of the daily processes of life. Then a certain terrorist group hacks the servers of the main government building, and the cybersystem starts setting spontaneous fires because of the virus. The main characters are trying to figure out who the terrorist group was and why they seem to be randomly targeting people through small-scale fires. Anyway, it sounded interesting."

Agreeing, Kyoya expressed that he'd certainly like to go, and Caine promised to pick him up the evening of the next day.

He was able to relax that night, eating dinner while his sister Fuyumi chattered aimlessly away, but when he woke up the next morning he found that the blood in his veins had turned to ice sometime during the night. Sitting at the breakfast table with Fuyumi, she noticed that his silence, while typical, was different from usual.

"What's up?" she asked.

Fiddling with his chopsticks, Kyoya stared with fascination at his breakfast, not meeting her probing eyes.

"Ah… onee-san, will you help me with something? I need your help choosing an outfit… for a date."

Fuyumi's spoon stopped halfway to her mouth as she froze in shock. Had her little brother really just said what she thought he had? It was strange enough him asking for her help, but in choosing an outfit? And for a _date_? She hadn't imagined her brother would _ever_ go on a date. Sure, it was what normal people did, but Kyoya, she knew, was far from normal. Anyone asking him out–and she couldn't imagine even in her most distorted imaginings that Kyoya would be the one to ask someone out–would first have to get past the wall of inaccessibility he built around himself. His odd little club seemed to have done that, under the direction of that incomprehensibly attractive and outgoing blond boy, but she couldn't imagine him being anything less than aloof with them, even given how much trouble that Tamaki had given him at the start of their friendship. It was just her brother's character to stand at a degree of remove from those around him. His immense intelligence forced it: the average person was simply too far away from his level. But now he was going on a date with someone? She knew her brother wouldn't mess around with someone he didn't really have feelings for, so it must be that at last even her strangely robotic brother had developed a crush. They must be someone extraordinary to incite feelings in him. Her eyes shone with excitement to meet them, to meet the person who made the cold mechanical heart of Otori Kyoya beat red with blood.

"Absolutely," she promised consolingly.

Meanwhile, at the Yabatsukuni house, a preternaturally similar scene was unfolding between Caine and Mira. Caine had only come down briefly to take his breakfast up to his room, and wondering why, Mira had followed him. There, she had seen a scene much more unorganized that she would have ever accounted from her brother–clothes were layered over his bed and the stacks of books he kept next to it.

"What's going on here?" she asked from the threshold. Shocked by her voice, Caine, who had just put his bowl down on his desk, jumped and whipped around, relaxing only when he saw the voice he had heard belonged to his sister.

"Oh, Mira," he said, his voice breaking only slightly and betraying the jolt she'd given him. Instead of repeating the question she fixed him with a look that insisted he answer it. His eyes broke off hers and slid towards his bed, taking in the chaos he'd unwittingly created. His shoulders slumped: his sister never let go of a question once she'd posed it of him, and she was like sodium pentathol to him in her truth-seeking abilities.

"Ah," he said, clearly reluctant to answer, "I, well… I have a date, and I'm not sure what I should wear."

An enormous smile stretched across Mira's features, her eyes lighting up.

"So you finally asked him out, huh?" she said, not needing to clarify who she meant.

Caine rolled his pale grey eyes at her enthusiasm, judging the statement needed no response. His sister regarded him fondly for a moment, glad the object of his affections had not turned him away. There was an enhanced degree of risk in confessing to someone of the same gender, after all, especially in their higher-class circles, where acceptance of homosexuality was slower to come than among the common class. Then, as she registered her twin's original question, her smile twisted into a smirk.

"I'll help you choose your clothes," she offered slyly.

Some part of Caine clearly wanted to refuse, given the scheming look on her face, but he ruefully accepted.

That evening, Kyoya was distracting himself with a book when Fuyumi came into his room, saying a commoner's car had pulled up into their driveway for some reason that escaped her. He shot to his feet, recognizing the description as Seito's car, which meant Caine had arrived. Fuyumi's mind went from confused as to why a commoner would come to their house and why Kyoya would be so excited about it to understanding as she realized the car bore his date. The moment the realization came to her, the doorbell rang, and she rushed ahead of her brother to see who had come for him.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see a silver-haired boy standing on the other side. By the look on his face, he had similarly not been expecting to see her standing there.

"Otori Fuyumi?" he ventured.

"That's me," she replied, smiling. "And you?"

"My name is Caine," he introduced himself, "I'm here to pick up Kyoya."

"Ah," she said, her eyes narrowing as she realized _this_ was Kyoya's date. She hadn't been aware he liked boys, but, then again, she hadn't been aware he liked _anyone_ in that manner. "So it's you. Well, you must be the boyfriend, then."

She heard two identical choking sounds, one from the silver-haired boy in front of her, one from the brother who had finally appeared behind her. Her brother's date recovered faster, and said,

"I guess so."

Although she could not see it, behind her, Kyoya's eyes bulged in shock at the blatant declaration. He strained to process what Caine had said, the part of his brain that was still processing working at double speed to make up for the partial brain failure he was experiencing. His brain, it seemed, wasn't receiving the necessary oxygen from his temporarily paused heart. He took a deep breath and forcibly restarted it, sternly telling himself again that this was all part of the process. He chuckled to himself, it was funny that he, typically so in control of his emotions, should be experiencing these episodes of irrationality. That was what feelings of affection were like, it seemed.

"Shall we go, Kyo?" Caine asked, and Fuyumi's eyes narrowed as she heard the familiar nickname. Kyoya, hearing it, smiled, and strode past his sister to join his silver-haired friend. _No_ , he corrected himself _, silver-haired_ boyfriend.

Biding Fuyumi goodbye, the two walked over to where Seito was waiting in the car.


	34. Dinner and a Show

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. A special thanks to sarahgri99 and Hikaru Kaoru plus Haruhi, my loyal reviewers. To all of my readers, I'm glad you've continued reading this story and I hope you like chapter 34.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Dinner and a Show

Seito took his hand off the steering wheel, waving a greeting to Kyoya as the glasses-clad boy came alongside the car.

"Nice to see you again, Otori-kun," he said as Kyoya climbed into the backseat alongside Caine, and they soon pulled away from the house and into traffic.

Turning to Kyoya, Caine said, "I thought we could get dinner before the film. Does that sound alright?"

 _It's better than alright_ , Kyoya thought, but he simply said, "Yes," in reply.

Caine grinned, directing Seito to drive on. When they pulled up outside their destination, Kyoya recognized it as the same cafe the three of them had visited before Caine had joined Host Club. Yabatsukuni knew the man who ran the cafe, he remembered, and would seat him in the upstairs private room whenever he came calling. He was gratefully Caine had chosen this restaurant for their dinner: it would allow them some privacy on their first date. As before, when they entered by the back door, the owner was standing waiting for them.  
"Hey Ry-chan, Ry-chan," he greeted, then added, "welcome back, Otori-kun."

Kyoya marveled that the man remembered him, but supposed there weren't many visitors coming in through the back door. He searched through his mental database until he found the man's name.

"Abe-san, glad to be back," he replied. Following Caine's lead, he scaled the stairs to the private dining room. As they sat down at the table, he noticed Seito had remained below with Abe, and he was both grateful for the privacy and anxious at the thought of being alone with Caine.

The silver-haired boy broke the silence first.

"My sister helped me pick out my outfit," he admitted. Kyoya looked over his apparel, noting he was well dressed in a dark red shirt and black pants, a black scarf laced around his throat. "I think it's probably the first time I've asked for her help in choosing my clothes." He chuckled to himself, adding, "She's dressed me before, but not at my request."

"Mine too," Kyoya confessed.

Caine raised an eyebrow, teasingly asking, "Dressed you tonight or before in random costumes against your will?"

Kyoya gave a half-smile, replying, "Both."

"That's how it is to be the younger brother, I guess," Caine said. "I mean, technically, I was born first, but Mira's always been the older sister in all the ways that count."

Looking thoughtful, Kyoya pondered, "I've always wondered that about twins. How the older-younger dynamic worked itself out. It's not something you can research, thought, as it seems to be something that varies from twin set to twin set. But I'd love to know how the pattern establishes itself as a general rule."

"What pattern?" a voice inquired, and the two boys looked up to see Abe standing there watching them. "I just came up to give you your water and to tell you what I have planned for dinner," he added.

Caine and Kyoya nodded, unknowingly in unison, and Abe explained that tonight's meal would consist of tori katsu, tsukemono, and rice. Both boys agreed that that would be suitable, and, after pouring their glasses of water, Abe vanished back down the stairs. Two pairs of eyes followed his vanishing back, then returned to link with each other.

"Well, in our case, Mira has the more dominant personality of the two of us, so she assumed the role of elder," Caine said, continuing their conversation where it had been interrupted.

"Logical enough," Kyoya replied, taking a small sip of his water.

Their topic of conversation turned to the Hitachiin twins, who, they decided, had personalities so similar it was hard to tell the difference between the "older" and "younger". Kyoya was intrigued to hear Caine's assessment that Hikaru was the "older" and Kaoru the "younger", as it mirrored his own understanding of the identical twins' relationship. It could be hard to see given how much they played up their similarity, but keen eyes could see Kaoru was the more naive of the two, Hikaru his guide. And Caine had already proved time and again that he was possessed of exceptionally keen eyes.

Swifter than he had expected, Abe returned with their meals, and the two dug in, pausing only to remark at the delicious taste of the food.

"How have I never discovered this cafe before now?" Kyoya questioned, and Caine was quick with the answer.

"It's pretty well off the radar," he explained. "Most of the customers are people in our circle looking for a place to eat where they won't be gawked at. And Abe knows everyone–he was a gossip reporter before he opened the cafe. One of the nice ones, mind."

Kyoya nodded. He knew that gossip reporters and paparazzi could get pretty intrusive in pursuit of scandals, imagined or otherwise. It would mean a lot to the people of their class for a reporter to avoid tactics that would rip away any illusion of privacy they might still have.

Soon enough, they were finished, and Abe and Seito reappeared, the one to take their plates and the other to lead them to the car.

Again, they drove through the streets, arriving out front of a building Kyoya recognized as the headquarters of Lightning Snow, a production company whose name he had heard before in connection with several excellent films. He hadn't know the company was a part of the Yabatsukuni Group, but it didn't surprise him to learn it, since he knew the group was involved in media the world over. He followed Caine into the building, where the boy guided him up the stairs to where a well-dressed woman stood on the red velvet carpet before the doors to an auditorium.

"Yabatsukuni-sama," she said as soon as she saw Caine, bowing deeply.

"Ebisawa-san, isn't it?" he replied, his voice imbued suddenly with the cool charm of wealth. The woman nodded, and he continued, "This is Otori, a friend of mine. Treat him as you would me."

Her eyes shifted from Caine to his companion, and she bowed again. "Welcome to the premier of _Cyber Ashes_ , Otori-sama."

Bowing in acknowledgement of her welcome, Kyoya followed Caine into the small cinema, sitting down in the dark seats at the back of theater.

"Ugh, I hate to do that," Caine commented, sinking down into the plush seat. "Act high-status like that, I mean. It feels so uncomfortable. But I suppose I should get used to it, since I'll have to do a lot more of it someday."

It was the first time he had alluded to the future, and Kyoya's mind was suddenly diverted to thinking about who Caine would become when he eventually graduated from university. As the eldest son (albeit adopted) of the head of the Yabatsukuni Group, it was a virtual certainty that he would take over the company from his father someday. Not like Kyoya's own future, made uncertain by his two older brothers. Not for the first time, he wondered what would it be like if he had been born the firstborn son. He would be different, he imagined, not forged by the struggle against traditional rules of inheritance or driven by determination to overcome his elder brothers' not inconsiderable accomplishments. But he knew with absolute certainty that the life of the eldest son would not have been easy either.

Dismissing the thought, he looked around the room, taking in his surroundings. The theater was small, seating perhaps twenty-five, the silver screen looming up in front of them. A smattering of guests were already seated in front of them, no doubt a mix of company employees who had been involved in the production as well as critics and distributors. Caine confirmed his suspicion, pointing out director and a few of the leading cast and crew members. Then the room darkened further, and the screen lit up as the showing began.

Over the next two hours, he watched with interest as the film played before him. It was riveting, and he was only distracted from it at one moment, when, about twenty minutes into the film, he felt Caine's cool hand descend on top of his own where it lay on the armrest between them. Forcing himself not to become preoccupied with the contact, he laced his fingers absently through the other boy's. That he did not look at Caine meant he missed the look of satisfaction on the silver-haired boy's face as he felt the hand join in clasp with his own.

When the lights came up, the two reluctantly disentangled their hands and departed the cinema, following the crowd down to the curb, where they watched the others get in cars and drive off, surely going to some after party where they would talk of nothing but films and making them. When all of the other guests were gone, Seito's car pulled up, again made remarkable in its plain contrast to the fanciness of the cars that had come before. The two boys re-entered the backseat, and drove back to Kyoya's home, chatting with their driver about the film they had just seen.

"I'd have to say it was one of Yoshioka's best films," Caine commented, citing the leading actress's name. He and Seito quickly became embroiled in a discussion about which of Yoshioka's films they liked best, Kyoya recognizing some but not all of the titles. He supposed it made sense that the two of them would be so knowledgeable about cinema, given the nature of the family business. He would probably sound the same if engaged in a discussion about hospitals and healthcare, he thought. Some time during the conversation, Caine's hand crept over the leather of the car's interior to where Kyoya's hand sat, coming to rest gently atop that hand. Kyoya looked down at the hand, his light blush visible now they were out of the darkness of the theater, then forced himself to look away and respond to an inquiry Seito had put to him.

When they reached the black-haired boy's house, Caine got out of the car with him, walking up to the front door.

"Sorry about your sister," he said cryptically, then darted forward to press a kiss against Kyoya's unprepared lips. Pulling back, he grinned at the boy, saying only, "See you Monday," before returning to Seito's car.

When Kyoya was able to extricate his head from repetitions of the kiss, he wondered at Caine's words. _Sorry about your sister_? Then he turned to face his house, and he realized what the boy had meant. There, standing before the window, illuminated by light from further within his house, stood Fuyumi, her mouth dropped open in shock. He stifled a laugh and unlocked his front door, preparing himself to deal with the surprise he had just given her. He supposed to her eyes he had always been cold-hearted, but all that, as she could clearly see, had changed. Caine had come into his life, and with his presence turned Kyoya into a new man. It was a change Kyoya knew his sister would be as pleased to welcome as he was.


	35. A Quick Read and A Cybernetic Companion

A/N: Don't own OHSHC. Thanks for reading and please enjoy chapter 35! Special thanks to the usual review gang: sarahgri99, Hikaru Kaoru plus Haruhi, and Shadow Spears, and also thanks to last chapter's guest reviewer.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Chapter Thirty-Five: A Quick Read and A Cybernetic Companion

Caine was lounging on his bed in a pale pink kimono, a book open before him, when Mira entered his room, not bothering to knock before she did so.

"So?" she said conspiratorially, "how was it?"

Making a face that said he was tired of her intrusion, Caine shook the book he held lightly, keeping his back turned towards his twin sister.

"I'm reading," he told her, his voice full of falsified boredom.

Truth be told, he wasn't even vaguely conscious of what book he was holding in his hand. When he had gotten home from his date that night, he'd gone straight up to his room and changed, then taken a book off the shelf to read as he did every evening before bed. But he hadn't read a single line–he was too distracted. His mind was rehearsing a verbatim production of the night's conversations, refreshing the sensation of Kyoya's hand in his own in a cyclical fashion. His mind felt fuzzy, awash in some overly gushy fluid leaking out of the emotional centers of his brain. He aimlessly flipped a page forward, recalling he was meant to be keeping up the impression that he was reading. He thought he had chosen a book he'd read before, so it didn't matter if he lost his place.

He felt the soft mattress beneath him sink as Mira sat down behind him.

"Reading, hm?" she said, her tone making it clear she didn't believe him at all. "I don't think I've ever seen you read _that_ slowly. Difficult book?"

Caine tensed, quickly flipping another page, and Mira scoffed out a laugh behind him.

" _That_ was really believable," she remarked. "Unlike your book (apparently), you're a quick read, dear brother." Caine could tell without turning around what her face looked like; artfully arranged skepticism written over every inch of her features, from her raised eyebrows full of doubt to the sly and knowing half-smile he knew so well from wearing it himself.

"Fine," he muttered reluctantly, dropping the book onto his bed and collapsing onto his stomach, his chin balanced on steepled hands.

"Soo?" Mira repeated, deliberately drawing out the word for dramatic effect.

" _Cyber Ashes_ was excellent," he mock-innocently replied in an overly intellectual voice, pretending he didn't know exactly what she was truly asking about.

Behind her brother's back, Mira rolled her dubiously lit blue-grey eyes.

"I'm sure it was," she responded, her voice saccharinely sarcastic. "And how was your _boyfriend_?"

Caine closed his eyes and thrust his face forcefully into the mattress.

"More excellent," he muttered to his bed, his voice muffled by the blanket.

The bed shifted again as Mira gently laid herself down, balancing her head in the hollow between Caine's right hip and his ribcage.

"What was that?" she murmur-cajoled, her face curved into a self-satisfied cat that ate the canary expression.

Caine turned his head ever so slightly, freeing a corner of his lips from contact with the blanket.

"More excellent," he repeated, not raising his voice in the slightest. He felt her chuckle resound from her chest through his, distantly reflecting that this sleepover-style conversation was when they were the most connected in their twin bond.

"So, when are you getting married?" she jokingly asked. Caine made a face and twitched his hip, tipping her head temporarily out of the pocket between his hip and ribs. She laughed again, adding, when her head resettled, "Kidding. Seriously, though, how's it going?" She had known without having to ask how anxious he'd been about his crush and how it would turn out once removed from the safe fantasyland in his head to reality. Reality had been historically harsh to him, after all.

"You heard what I said," he muttered in reply, determining not to raise his voice in the slightest. He smiled dreamily as the memory of the night came back to him. "Honestly, I had some trouble focusing on what was going on in the movie; at one point, I had to imply what had happened during a scene I missed because he took the hand I offered. Lucky I'm good at estimating what must have occurred in stories." He broke into an abrupt laugh, the vibrations reverberating deeply through he and his sister as he returned the chuckle she had given him a few moments before. "You know, I bet you would be good friends with his older sister. The look on her face when she saw me kiss him outside his door was just like the look on your face that first day when you saw us holding hands."

Mira smiled at the image Caine presented her, remembering the temporary mental paralysis she'd experienced on accidentally walking in and seeing them, and imagined another sister in the same state.

Not far away, the other sister was trying to jolt herself out of the aforementioned temporary mental paralysis. Kyoya had arranged himself lazily on their sofa; Fuyumi, by contrast, was pacing distractedly in front of him, her mind wracked by overthrown assumptions.

"Little brother!" she forced out, locking her shock-widened brown eyes with her brother's. She paced back and forth a few more times, finally collapsing on the other end of the sofa.

"What just happened?" she asked, giving up on arranging her jumbled mess of thoughts. When she looked over at her brother, expecting a coolly and calmly delivered answer, she discovered to her ultimate surprise that he was blushing lightly–something she had almost resolved he was incapable of. Her eyes, already stretched wide, expanded almost past the point which a normal person's eyes were capable of dilating as she was bathed in new, intense levels of shock. "Oh my god." She sunk her head into her hands, taking deep breaths, her long black hair draping in front of her face. "I mean, I knew he was your date, but I didn't expect that!"

A pair of dark eyebrows were elegantly and skeptically raised, the calm look on their owner's face belying his rapidly racing heart.

"What _did_ you expect?"

"I don't know," she said, flustered by how thoroughly her recent observations of her brother were contradicting the previously existing evidence on him. "It's just… oh my god! I never knew you were gay!"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses and gave her a pointed _look_.

"What?" she asked, defensively admitting, "I don't know, I guess I thought you were… asexual or something?"

"I believe robotic was the word you used," her brother commented, a slim smile elegantly gracing his features.

Seeing the look, she smiled brightly, jokingly replying, "I guess you've found a cybernetic companion."

Hearing her words, Kyoya's smile stretched to match her own. "I guess I have."


	36. Apparently it's a Music Room?

A/N: I don't own OHSHC. Thanks to all those who review–I especially thank you as this story gets ever longer. That said, I hope you like chapter 36 and that you keep on reading!

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Also, I realized as I was switching out the chapters with my rewritten chapters that I accidentally omitted this one. Oops!

Chapter Thirty-Six: Apparently it's a Music Room?

"I'm confused," Caine said. "Is this supposed to be Aladdin or Ali Baba and the Forty-Seven Thieves?"

He had come into Host Club late, having stopped to chat with the teacher about an academic matter of shared interest, and had caught his fellow hosts in various states of Turkish dress. Haruhi, in a cream-colored robe, was picking hesitantly at the coin-like objects dangling from pink drape about her neck: when Caine looked closer he could see they were five yen coins. He briefly paused to think those wouldn't be of much use in Golden Age Arabia before continuing his scan of the room. Hikaru and Kaoru were matching as usual, their previous feud mended so completely it was as if it hadn't even happened. They wore loose camel-colored pants and teal jackets open over what to Caine appeared to be ribbons tied across their chests. While the costumes might have been weather-appropriate to the warm temperatures of the Middle East, the silver-haired boy doubted it was historically accurate. Mori, however, looked natural in the clothes, his darkly tanned skin just the right color to approximate someone of the Near Eastern origin. He was trying to get Honey to sit still, feeding the youthful boy sugared almonds as he swathed a pink scarf around his golden hair.

Tamaki and Kyoya were standing at the far wall, their backs to the rest as they discussed some matter, but they turned when they heard Caine's query. Both were dressed their parts–Tamaki a young Arabic prince in red and pale blue, Kyoya his indispensable vizzier in black and lilac.

"I believe it is intended to be a melange of Byzantine culture," Kyoya replied, smiling.

Tamaki's eyes narrowed as his brain churned through his glasses-clad friend's explanation. Deciding Kyoya must know what he was talking about, he smiled ecstatically and moved on to the more important matters at hand.

"Here's your costume, Caine!" he exclaimed, handing the boy the colorful folds of fabric. Retreating into the dressing room, Caine inspected them as he dressed himself; they had given him a pair of spring green silk harem pants, which, while looking slightly embarrassing, were actually quite comfortable. To cover his chest was a similarly green shirt, sleeves conscientiously extending far enough to cover his tattoos, and a vest of shimmering gold. Around his head he wove another gold cloth, pinning it in place with a green feather-and-false-jewel pin–nothing could create the stereotypically Middle Eastern look better than a turban that looked like it had just come off a genie.

Returning to the main room, he made a mental note to thank Kyoya for once again quite literally covering for him. He was well aware the cultural implications of tattoos in Japan, it wouldn't have done to have his genteel guests see him shirtless. He wasn't eager to show off his scar either: he preferred not to reveal it to those outside his family, wishing to avoid the inevitable torrent of piercing questions. Tugging lightly at one of his sleeves, he shot the dark-haired boy a thankful look and was rewarded with a knowing smile.

"See, I told you green would look good on him," Tamaki was insisting to the twins. Caine's lips quirked upwards; he thought it more likely the twins had been responsible for the color choices. Confirming his hypothesis, the twins started arguing their defense, and it was then that the hallway door opened.

The hosts arranged themselves as rose petals fluttered around the newcomer–they were prepared for the arrival of guests. Instead, the person standing in the doorway was a child, a mere grade schooler.

"Welcome," the hosts chorused as the boy fell backwards onto his butt in shock at their exotic apparel.

"Why, it's a little boy," Tamaki announced (as if they couldn't all see him sitting there) and proceeded, for some incomprehensible reason, to flirt with him. Perhaps, Caine thought, it was simply a reflex of his overly charming character.

The boy approached, introducing himself, then said something that surprised even Caine and Kyoya: "I want to be your apprentice!"

Naturally, Tamaki could little resist such flattery and accepted at once.

A few days later, the host club was bustling with news of the new apprentice. Tamaki was in his finest form, showing off for young Shiro (for that was the grade school child's name). Shiro, however, disapproved of his style of complimenting, preferring instead a more blunt approach. He criticized the twins' twincest act and even managed to antagonize Mori by complaining about what he perceived to be the mismatch between Honey's size and boy lolita style and high school uniform he wore. He mostly stayed away from the intimidating air of intelligence produced by Caine and Kyoya, but spared a few words for the American-born boy, calling his naturally silver hair fake.

When they imprisoned him in a cage in the middle of the floor (Caine hadn't known Music Room 3 had one of _those_ ), however, he burst into tears, crying he didn't have enough time and that Tamaki would have to be quick in teaching him how to woo. And after Renge (arriving by giant motorized platform–Caine hadn't known Music Room 3 had one of _those_ either) labelled him the naughty boy type and proceeded with lessons on how to act the part, he ran away, tossing back at them accusations of their failure, saying those tactics would ultimately fail to impress "her".

Which was how they found themselves "sneaking" into Ouran's grade school section. Honey was disguised as a grade schooler: Shiro had been right when he accused Honey of looking like he was the same age, after all. Tamaki had taken advantage of the situation to trick Haruhi into dressing up as a middle schooler; notably, a female one. The short brown miniskirt had him and the twins almost swooning, and Kyoya and Caine rolling their eyes in unison.

The mission wasn't a complete failure, however, as they discovered Shiro had become an apprentice host not to woo girls generally but one girl in particular: his classical music club classmate Kamishiro Hina. It seemed she was moving away the following week and Shiro wasn't confident enough in his piano skills to play a final recital with her. Tamaki's chivalrous nature went into full effect as he gave a stirring speech about becoming a man as the way to win a girl's heart.

"He does realize Shiro's eleven, right?" Caine whisper-asked Kyoya.

The dark-haired boy raised an elegant black eyebrow at him, replying, "I doubt it. He doesn't really process age differences–you saw how he flirted with that girl back at the grade school. To him, everyone is someone he could be making happy."

The silver-haired boy smiled at the remark, but their conversation was cut short by Tamaki's next words.

"That song Hina-chan was playing–it was a Mozart duet, wasn't it?" he asked, proceeding to the yellow curtain covering one corner of the room. Caine had seen it hanging there each day in Host Club and had always wondered what was behind it. After the cage and the motorized platform, he imagined anything could be beyond it. What more strange additions could a Music Room really have?

When Tamaki pulled back the curtain with a flourish, he was surprised to see a grand piano waiting in the wings. Out of all of the things that could have hidden in that sheltered alcove, he had least expected the ordinary. Kyoya must have seen the look on his face, because he smiled slyly, saying, "Didn't guess we had a piano was lurking back there?"

"Apparently it's actually a music room," he remarked, returning his boyfriend's amused look. "I had almost forgotten."

"It doesn't get used often," the glasses-clad boy explained. Standing in front of them, Haruhi was having a similar revelation about the sudden piano reveal (though it seemed she hadn't noticed the curtained-off area), and when the other hosts started confirming the instrument had always been there, Caine smirked and played along, acting as if he, too, had known from the beginning, although he was actually in the same boat as the crossdressing host. As he heard the words escape the silver-haired boy's lips, Kyoya held back a laugh at the innocent deception.

With a surprising lack of his usual overly-dramatic air, Tamaki sat down at the piano and began to play. As his fingers danced across the delicate ivory keys Caine suppressed a gasp–he was a phenomenally talented player. It wasn't something he had expected from the lively blonde host; he knew learning to play the piano took immeasurable patience, and quite frankly that wasn't something he associated with Tamaki. The piano couldn't be flattered into giving up the secret to musically beautiful playing, yet here, it seemed, it had been.

"How lovely," Caine commented, listening attentively. Kyoya, watching the happy smile drifting onto his boyfriend's lips, felt a sudden unanticipated stab of jealousy. If only he had that talent–but he reminded himself the boy seemed contented with him the way he was.  
With Tamaki's piano mastery and dutiful tutelage Shiro was able to win Hina's heart and began to exchange emails with her after she departed for Germany. Soon, he became more of a curse than a blessing for his teacher, wooing Tamaki's guests away from the princely host with his mischievous behavior. But the hosts didn't mind. Bringing happiness to those who needed it was what being a host was all about, after all.


	37. A Rude Awakening

A/N: I'm not Hatori-sensei and don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club. But I do like to write about it! Thanks for continuing to read and enjoy chapter 37.

New A/N 12.2017: I recently rewrote this story to change an important element in Caine's backstory that I wasn't satisfied with. I hope you all are as content with the change as I am and continue to read and review my story.

Please note, if you read the previous version of Silver Lining and want to find out what has changed, I would encourage you to go back to the beginning and reread it. Failing that, please reread chapters 13 and 31 to understand Caine's new backstory.

So, when I was replacing these chapters with my rewritten ones I realized I omitted the chapter just before this one. If you are caught up and reading from this chapter, please go back and read that one, this one is simply a rewrite of the previous "A Rude Awakening".

Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Rude Awakening

"Ry-chan?"

Caine wasn't sure exactly what time it was when Seito came to wake him up that Saturday morning, but it was certainly several hours earlier than anyone had a right to rouse a night owl. Sometime during the night he had buried himself in his comforter, pillows sandwiching his head and muffling any and all outside noises that might seek to disturb his slumbers. It was his preferred weekend sleeping arrangement, guaranteed to prevent anyone from waking him on the days the gods had gifted their people for late sleeping.

Seito had seen the arrangement many times before, though, and knew precisely the method to best awaken the silver-haired boy encased within it.

"Wake up!" he called, rapidly removing the pillow off of the silver locks beneath it and yanking free the tangled blanket covering the rest of his charge.

"Mhm," came the reply, a sound somewhere between the dying moan of a tortured bear and sullen revving of a black tinted-window-clad SUV. With the removal of the blanket, Caine could be seen loosely swathed in his sheet, his scar and the artistic tattoos of a sun and moon, dragon, and half the kanji of the poem on his side exposed. His right hand lay across his body, his left reaching out as if to grasp the last fragment of sleep that always eluded him. Underneath the pillow, his silver hair rested untidily over his face, mussed by the pillow sandwich it had formerly filled.

Grey eyes cracking open, Caine forced out, "Satur… day…", his protest at the rude waking.

"Your boyfriend's here!" Seito announced, his voice as full of enthusiasm as Tamaki's.

"Ugh," the sleeping boy instantly replied, rolling to merge his face with his remaining pillow. Seito raised an intrigued eyebrow at the less-than-ecstatic response, but no sooner had his right ear made contact with the pillow than Caine reversed his course, turning back and opening his eyes fully for the first time that morning.

"Wait, what?" he asked, his voice gritty from sleep.

"You heard me," Seito replied, a smug smile decorating his face. "He's waiting for you in a car out front." His eyes drifted to suspicious, puzzlement washing away the smug look. "There's a blond boy with him too? Big violet eyes."

His awoken charge groaned, staring at the ceiling with immensely tired eyes.

"... ugh."

Seito chuckled at the reaction.

Still mostly asleep, Caine lay still, steeling himself to get up.

"Mira's making your coffee as we speak," his observer commented, incentivising him.

Two blue-grey eyes closed, a deep sigh containing the last dregs of sleep escaping their owner. Suitably prepared, Caine wrenched himself into a sitting position and swung his legs over the side of his bed. Weaving his fingers through grey tresses, he corrected the unkempt nature of his hair, then strode to his closet to dress.

"Now is probably a good time to mention the bubbly boy said to tell you 'we're going swimming!'," Seito added, pausing on his way out of Caine's room. Caine gave him a suspiciously impressed side-eye–his caretaker had slipped effortlessly into a supernaturally apt impression of the blond host's excited demeanor. Seito, seeing the expression, smiled mysteriously and departed.

Swimming, he recalled when his mind returned to the course of former thoughts from its deviation to wonder at Seito's previously unknown skill for Tamaki impressions. Since his family owned a summer home in the Ryukyu Islands, he was no stranger to water, and the many summers spent immersed in those cerulean waters meant it wasn't as if he disliked swimming either. Swimming in the company of those outside his own family; however, had always been something he avoided whenever possible. Even though he had gotten over his youthful discomfortable at inadvertantly showing his half-naked body to all with eyes to see, the matter of his scar and tattoos complicated the idea of such a display. The difficulty of concealing them and keeping them hidden despite the water, compounded with the anxiety he suffered knowing his preparations might easily fail, overmastered the enjoyment he got from the activity. Despite his apprehension, though, he felt he should go. It was the weekend, so the presence of customers was unlikely (besides which he felt certain Kyoya would have warned him in advance if any plans to the effect had been made), and he did not so much fear the watching eyes of his fellow hosts. It had been too long since he had been able to enjoy playing in the water with friends.

Pushing the hangars aside, he reached into the back of the closet and removed the necessary gear, then dressed casually and made his way to the waiting car below.


End file.
